Wait For Me
by Cherry tiger
Summary: Sequel to my earlier fic, Gravity. Time is moving faster than before, and one question will be on the mind's of both Hiruma and Mamori. How long is too long?
1. Chapter 1

**Notes: **It's finally here! After getting many comments filled with love and support for "Gravity" (thank you so much!), I also got a number of people demanding for a sequel. Admittedly, at the end of Gravity, I did see a sequel possible, but hesitated quite a bit as I wasn't sure if I was up for it. One of the main reasons is that this isn't going to be a simple fic like the original one. This is definitely going to be a bit darker, but it has been one aspect of HiruMamo that I've been thinking about even around the time I was still writing Gravity. It just surprised me that Gravity could lead in to this, I wasn't expecting it.

So here it is, you guys. Please do not expect this to be as light or as simple as Gravity, but I really do hope you enjoy the chapters I have planned. Here's the first one!

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><p>The stadium was cheering loudly, a triumphant roar erupting from the crowd around her. It was a joyful, powerful cheer that seemed to envelope everyone around, rising with the spirits of the players donning blue and green before her. Yet these joyous feelings barely reached Mamori, the scenery didn't match her feelings at that moment.<p>

Because although there was much to celebrate, her heart was breaking, and she could not fight the tears that were now flowing freely down her cheeks.

He was coming towards her now, and so were the rest of the team. Their walk was slow, their exhaustion made heavier by the burden of defeat. The other team had hoisted up their runningback, cheering and shouting with joy. But her attention was fixed firmly upon him. He was looking at her, smirking, causing her to smile despite her tears.

It was over. It was a long, long road but it was finally over.

Even though their last game ended up in defeat, and it was a painful thought, they had finally reached their end with a bang.

As the team finally approached her, Mamori quickly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. Holding her clipboard close to her chest, she grabbed a few bottles of water, donning a comforting smile. "Good work, everyone!"

oOo

Mamori rushed straight into the family restaurant, breathless as her eyes searching frantically before finally resting upon two of her best friends. "Sara! Ako!"

The two girls' faces lit up as they ushered Mamori to sit with them. "Mamori-kaa-san!" cried Sara, who after all these years still used that name out of pure affection and habit. "I'm so glad you can make it since it's been so long! How have you been?" asked Sara.

"It's been really hectic! I just had my last exam today and… well… after this, I'm pretty much graduating," Mamori beamed as a waitress passed her a menu.

"Oh, finally!" cried Ako excitedly. "You've been busy for months with the Rice Bowl and studies that we haven't seen you since that birthday party at Sara's!"

"And what a party that was!" giggled Sara, raising an eyebrow at Mamori.

Mamori cringed as she distracted herself by opening the menu. "Did you really have to bring that up now?"

Sara continued to giggle. "I'm sorry, but since we didn't get to talk after the party, I think it's best if we talk about it now that you're finally free." There was a twinkle in Sara's eyes that made Mamori feel even more uncomfortable. "You say a lot of interesting things when you're drunk, Mamori-kaa-san."

"Yeah!" Ako nodded. "Oh, and by the way, I looked up Yamato Takeru after you mentioned how cute he is at that party. You're right, he really is handsome!"

"I didn't say that!" Mamori protested. "I said he was a really nice guy, very helpful, polite and optimistic."

"Uh-huh…" Sara picked up her glass filled with soda and drank it quietly. "That was before you drank all that vodka."

Mamori sighed, looking at the list of drinks available. She knew she had no choice but to admit defeat. After years of trying to get Mamori to drink and failing, Sara and Ako finally succeeded after they mixed vodka with a number of sweet drinks that really appealed to Mamori. Thinking that the lack of strong alcohol taste was safe for her, she drank a number of glasses before her world spun around her and she could barely remember what she did or said. She had never felt so ashamed, as she woke up the next day with a terrible headache. After a quick phone call with Sara, she confirmed that, much to her dismay, she was pretty drunk the night before. And after months of being able to avoid them, they were now keen to lay out what exactly happened that night.

"Fine," she finally said. "What other damaging words did I say that made you two so keen to meet me today?"

"Well, other than your little outbursts about your rating of each and every guy in the Saikyoudai Wizards," Ako stopped for a moment as Mamori let out a groan. "Don't worry! You gave them all really nice ratings!"

"I don't think that's why she groaned, Ako," Sara smiled cunningly. "But we couldn't deny that you gave some interesting ratings on that Yamato fellow especially."

"I think one of Sara's friends asked if you would date him and you totally said you'd consider it," Ako grinned in excitement.

Mamori held back another groan. What had she been thinking during that party? She recalled having a tough time during practice on that day, and to make it worse, Hiruma wasn't being easy on her especially since she had to leave early for the party. But it was Sara's birthday and after months of continuously cancelling all plans she had with them, she just couldn't decline her again. Hiruma had been all the more irritable as the Rice Bowl drew nearer. It was Yamato who stood up for her, a feat only Yamato and possibly Agon could pull before such a demon. Mamori must have felt very grateful for him for helping her 'escape' as she remembered fuming over the way Hiruma had been treating her lately.

"I may have said that," Mamori spoke up. "But you girls know that it isn't something possible."

"Why not?" asked Ako.

"Well… Yamato's a really nice guy, and I appreciate every little help he gives me. But we really don't talk that much and I really don't like him in that way."

"How would you know?"

Mamori blinked. "Eh?"

"How would you know?" Ako repeated herself. "You've never even given him a chance."

"Ako's right," Sara nodded. "How would you know it's not something more if you've never given him a chance?"

Mamori felt her jaw drop a little. Were they being serious? "Sara, Ako, I told you I don't like him that way… We're just friends! Besides, I'm going to be really busy after my graduation. I finally got accepted into a Kindergarten! How exciting is that? I'm finally going to live my dream…"

Mamori's attempt at changing the subject didn't quite work as well as she had hoped. Sara and Ako shared glances at each other for a moment. Then Ako sighed and said, "Hey, Mamori-kaa-san, how is Hiruma?"

"Hiruma?" Mamori couldn't contain the surprise in her voice. "Well… he's fine, I suppose. He took our defeat at the recent Rice Bowl pretty well. I guess seeing as we won last year, this defeat wasn't such a big deal for him…"

"He will be graduating too, right?" Sara spoke up. "What is he going to do after that?"

Mamori stared at the two girls before her, wondering why they were asking such questions. She shrugged for a moment as she thought hard. Hiruma never really did discuss what he was doing after their graduation… "I'm not sure," Mamori admitted. "I know there was a possibility of him being chosen as a player in one of the teams from the X-League, but news is spreading about a number of players who played in the Rice Bowl recently receiving offer letters from America. But he never really confirmed that with me…"

The girls looked rather solemn as they heard Mamori's words. "And if he does get that letter to America…" said Sara. "What then?"

"Well…" A feeling of uneasiness began to swell within Mamori. She couldn't help but look out of the window as she contemplated. They were right… if Hiruma did go to America, what then? Surely, Mamori would be supportive of this… right?

But didn't Hiruma promise that he would come back to her once the Rice Bowl was over? They had gone through three Rice Bowls at this point, and now that none was in sight, the future seemed clear.

What then, indeed?

"Mamori-kaa-san," said Ako, interrupting Mamori's thoughts. "I hope you don't mind me saying this but I think you really should know that we're worried about you. You were so caught up with your studies and football… I worry that once you start working, you'll do the same thing too and forget to live a little…"

"We've always let it be since Middle School," said Sara. "You were always a strong girl that did whatever she set her mind to. When you joined the American Football club in Deimon, we were worried you would wear yourself out but though you coped just fine, you followed Hiruma into Saikyoudai and we saw you work yourself to the bone! It was either work for Hiruma or for you. You've been following Hiruma needlessly, and I think since graduation is coming up, you need to take a step away from him. Because after what we saw at that party, I couldn't help but think you need to live a little more. Take a breather, go on a date!"

Ako nodded. "Sara's right. Nothing will change if you keep staying in one spot. Do you really think Hiruma would come back for you if he ever does go to America? He's pretty much done with American Football in Japan, even joining the X-League would be nothing compared to America. He'll move on to bigger things now, and it's obvious that you won't be able to follow him. You should stop waiting for him and keep moving forward!"

Mamori's mouth felt dry as the weight of their words settled in her mind. Having been so caught up with doing what she had to do in general, basically avoiding him to focus on what she needed to do, there never really was time to discuss this issue with Hiruma.

Was he avoiding her though? They barely spoke about their feelings since that first year in Saikyoudai when she fell sick. She never thought about it much as they knew very well that studies and football were their top priority. But now…

Mamori swallowed dryly as she said, "Thank you for your concern and I appreciate your advice… but—"

Mamori's words were cut as the waitress walked over. "Are you girls ready to order?"

Mamori took this chance to finally change the subject. "Oh! I completely forgot! Have you girls ordered anything to eat yet? I'll just get a fruit juice for now…"

Sara and Ako looked at Mamori and each let out a sigh, knowing very well that Mamori just wasn't going to face the issue they brought up. Not just yet anyway. They finally decided they were better off letting it be for now. "I'll have Omurice," said Ako.

"Ah, me too!" said Sara. "Would you like one too, Mamori-kaa-san?"

Mamori smiled at them. "Sure!"

oOo

Mamori waved goodbye at Sara and Ako across the street. After having a meal filled with talks about their future and silly gossip that made them all giggle, Sara and Ako had offered to walk to the train station together, but Mamori insisted she had one little chore to do before she head back.

She was lying. It was something Mamori wasn't very proud of, but it was necessary. She needed some time to think.

As she walked down the street where a line of shops greeted her, Mamori wondered what she was going to do now. True, she had secured her future as a Kindergarten Teacher, but Sara and Ako brought up an interesting point she never really thought about.

What about Hiruma?

She had been so used to being next to him that it didn't occur to her that his possible offer letter from America could mean he was leaving her behind. Surely it would be the best for the both of them…

But what about that promise they made? That she would wait for him until the time came? Has that time arrived yet? Should she keep waiting?

She felt an ache in her heart that just wouldn't go away. Maybe she shouldn't have gotten that job at that Kindergarten…

Mamori stopped in the middle of the street, shaking her head. "Stupid!" she muttered to herself, causing a few curious glances towards her but she did her best to ignore them. How could she think that? That has been her dream for a long while now. Surely she had every right to chase after it as much as Hiruma does with his.

Then… what now?

Mamori took a deep breath as she tried to clear her thoughts. She knew the answer to this. There was no way Anezaki Mamori was going to let her emotions get the best of her.

She pulled out her phone from her bag, and began to write a text.

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><p><strong>Extra Notes:<strong>I'm sorry if everything moved too quickly in this chapter. I thought it would be better to set up the beginning this way as my other option would include writing how things were before the Rice Bowl, and I wasn't quite up for it as it would be long and rather unnecessary.

In the meantime, since I mentioned the X-League, here's what it is. The X-League is sort of the Japanese version of the NFL. Basically the winner of the X-League will fight with the winner of the college championships in the Rice Bowl. In my story, the Saikyoudai Wizards did win the college championships and fought it out with one of the teams in the X-League one year prior to this. They lost this year.

But even so, those from the college championship can still join in the teams in the X-League. This whole joining the X-League will play a bigger role in the next chapter, so do look out for it. It will definitely be Hiruma centric.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: **Second chapter is up! I'm a little worried by how vague this chapter might be, and I fear I may have rushed things again as I didn't want to spend so much time elaborating on the nitty gritty details on what Hiruma is actually doing in this story. I just hope that it flows well enough to make sense. Oh, and I fear I may have made Hiruma a little too OOC (he's always so hard to write!), but hopefully it isn't distracting enough. Let me know if there are any areas I should improve on, thanks.

And lots of love goes to Elis for having taken time out of her busy schedule to edit this for me. She's been doing it for the past few fics now that I never really took the time to thank her as I'm constantly rushing to put the fics up. I wanna say thanks to her for being incredibly patient with me and for enjoying my fics, regardless. ^^

I hope you guys enjoy this!

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><p>The team had finally packed up and left the stadium, leaving Mamori to clean up the remnants of the mess in their locker room. She could hear Hiruma tapping away on his laptop, an act she thought was odd considering there shouldn't be much work to do.<p>

"Hiruma-kun?" Mamori called out as she put the broom away.

He grunted a reply.

"Aren't you heading back? We're pretty much done for the day after all..."

Hiruma carried on typing, chewing on his bubblegum casually. "There's something I need to work on first."

"What is it?"

He kept silent. Mamori looked at him, hoping he would finally explain himself, but he kept typing. "I'll head back first?" she asked as she grabbed her bag.

Hiruma merely nodded. Mamori looked at him for a moment, but sighed and shrugged as she left the locker room. There were moments where Hiruma would be like this, engrossed in something bigger and more important than what he was currently doing. He'd tried to explain it to her before... that it had something to do with an extra job he picked up. But he would never go into detail, and she decided she would respect his privacy in this matters.

Yet being who she was, she couldn't help but worry.

oOo

Clearing things up wasn't Hiruma's style. He was better known for causing a mess, throwing his belongings around like an animal marking his territory. Putting things away was not his task. It was someone else's responsibility.

But he decided he would clear his belongings out on his own today.

The football gear that belonged to him. The huge amounts of data, cellphones and video recorders he'd gotten for personal use. There may not have been much to pack up, but it was still a significant amount for him.

Yanking out his backpack and putting it on the bench behind him, Hiruma removed the jersey from his locker, staring at it for a moment before rolling it up and throwing it into his bag. He could hear Mamori's voice nagging him instantly. '_Don't just throw your clothes in like that!'_ she had shouted at him before when he was packing before their graduation at Deimon. Whatever he threw in his bag, Mamori would pull out and either fold the clothes and towels he threw, or rearrange the cellphones and football gear carefully in his bag.

He remembered being really annoyed with her taking up too much time, and he calling her out on being anal. She'd blushed and attempted to hit him with a nearby mop, but he'd avoided her easily with a loud cackle.

Hiruma held back a sigh. She wasn't with him for 5 minutes and he was already missing her for simple tasks like these. It probably would have been a good idea to have had her help. She would know if he had missed out on anything. But...

The sound of the clubhouse door opening and closing snapped Hiruma out of his thoughts. He wasn't in the mood to meet anyone right now, but it was stupid to run and hide at this point. He looked out to see who it was. The team didn't normally come in at this hour, especially since the college was still going through the exam period after all. So it was a surprise to see that it was Agon who was now walking towards the locker room where Hiruma was.

"Thought I'd find you here," said Agon, casually lounging on the bench just behind Hiruma. Agon eyed the open bag that was filled with Hiruma's jersey and belongings. "You're packing pretty fucking early."

"You should be packing too, Fucking Dreads," Hiruma replied.

"Fuck that," Agon drawled. "They can burn my stuff for all I care. Can always get new ones."

Hiruma cackled softly. "Being the predictable dick that you are."

Neither said anything for a moment and Hiruma continued to clear out his locker. Hiruma wasn't sure why Agon was hanging out with him right now, but he didn't bother to ask. It wasn't unusual for him to just hang out like the times before when they would wait together for a certain task.

"So did you get the offer?"

Agon's question hung in the air as Hiruma continued to pack his towels, undeterred. Hiruma knew exactly what Agon was talking about. "What makes you think I would have gotten it?" Hiruma asked.

"Oh... I don't know," Agon drawled some more. "It seems like something you would want. What better way to prove to the world your powers as a tactician and football player than doing it on an American field." Hiruma kept silent at Agon's statement. "So I'm guessing you didn't get it?"

"Keh, I don't need that fucking offer," said Hiruma, now pulling out his football gear. His bag was running out of space way too quickly, adding on to his frustration. "America may be the land of American Football but it's going to take a lot of work for a Japanese player to break through. It hasn't quite been done yet."

"Wouldn't it be better to just go there and do what you always do?" asked Agon, leaning against the bench with the back of his palm. "You know, shout loudly, point your guns at them and blackmail them to kingdom come? Come on, we all know that would work."

Yet Hiruma kept silent, completely ignoring what Agon was saying to him. So Agon continued, "...Unless, you have a reason to stay here in Japan." Agon raised an eyebrow at Hiruma but the blonde quarterback continued to pay him no heed.

"Is it because of Anezaki?"

Hiruma paused for a moment as he stuffed the bursting bag with the last of his belongings from the locker. His things were overflowing to the point that it was impossible to zip it up and rush out of the clubhouse. The image of Mamori telling him off flashed through his mind once more. Pushing the thought away, he feigned a calmness he did not feel and attempted to rearrange his bag. "You can say whatever shit you want, Fucking Dreads," said Hiruma. "But I'm in no rush to get to America."

"Well, in that case..." Agon reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "I suggest you change whatever plans you had in mind."

Hiruma stopped going through his things and stared at the envelope in Agon's hand. He recognized the writing, and inhaled sharply. "Shit," Hiruma cursed. "You fucking spoke to them, didn't you?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Agon sat up, glaring at Hiruma. "They're our best client, you fucking piece of trash! They pay us the best money for getting information from businessmen and other companies! How can you fucking ignore their calls?"

"Cause I'm not fucking interested in this piece of shit," said Hiruma, an edge of anger growing in his voice.

Agon got up and with his Godlike speed, grabbed Hiruma's collar and pinned him to the locker with one hand. He glared angrily at Hiruma behind his dark glasses, gritting his teeth. "Fuck you! Do you know how many people out there would die to get a chance like this? They promised you could be a part of the NFL in the next year! This would be your chance!"

Hiruma clenched his fist, tempted to punch Agon right in the face. "At what price, Fucking Dreads?" he glared back at Agon. "So I can continue to blackmail and threaten their competitors in America? I told them that the moment I graduated from Saikyoudai, I don't want to work with them anymore."

"Well, guess what... it's too late!" Agon shook Hiruma, slamming him against the lockers once more. "You were the one who decided to work with them, and then roped me in for extra help! They're huge now thanks to you! And you expect them to let go of you just like that? Why do you think they worked out a way for you to be a part of the NFL? Because they don't want to fucking lose their cash cow!"

"Shit, you think I don't know that?" Hiruma growled, losing his patience. "Imagine the amount of money they'd make once I pave a way for them to get into America! But guess what, Fucking Dreads? If you haven't fucking realized it yet, I don't work that way! If I want to go to America, I'll go on my own fucking terms!"

"You could be making millions out there!" Agon retorted.

"I'm not in it for the money," Hiruma replied as he pushed Agon away. Sensing Hiruma was losing his patience, Agon kept his distance though if looks could kill, his glare would have withered Hiruma. "I worked with this company just to get enough knowledge on all the tycoons I wanted to keep tabs on. Seeing as it was a win-win situation for the both of us, I started working for them. They were small tasks at first, and then they began to escalate to bigger ones. And then it got bad when they went behind my back and told you to injure one of their competitors."

Agon sneered. "That's why you pulled me out from the Rice Bowl... and looked at what happened to the team?"

"We would have lost either way," said Hiruma. "The chances of us winning were slim to begin with since Enma University defeated the Obic Seagulls. The fucking shorty grew up a lot this year..." Hiruma bit his lip, as he recalled that those were the exact words Mamori had told him after looking at the data they had. He remembered Mamori looking rather proud at that moment, but her eyes were filled with tears. "Either way, the loss was expected, but we weren't going down without a fight."

"But now that it's all over, you seem intent on letting go of any chances of moving forward," Agon let out a loud sigh of frustration. "You are fucking crazy."

Hiruma sneered. "That's a statement I can live with."

Agon grunted as he shoved a fist gripping the envelope into Hiruma's chest. Hiruma looked down for a moment and said, "I thought I told you-"

"You don't have a choice. They wanted me to pass this as well as a message to you. Come tomorrow to Saikyoudai, an NFL captain came all the way from America to see you. You'll probably meet the rest of the team as well."

"Did they really think I would go for this?"

"You don't have a choice now..." Agon nodded towards the envelope. "Do you? You should know that just as you were taking information on their side, they took a lot of information about you too." Agon looked away for a moment, hesitating. "They know about Anezaki's employment in a Kindergarten."

Hiruma's eyes widened with shock. "Fuck," he cursed. "Just... fuck this." Growling, he grabbed the letter from Agon and stuffed it in his bag. He was blindly moving his things around now, hoping that everything would move in place, so he could just zip it up and go.

Agon decided it was time to leave, but just as he was about to go. He turned for a moment to say, "You should consider what's best for you... and Anezaki..."

Hiruma didn't say a word as Agon finally left. He shook his bag violently until finally, he could zip his bag up. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his feelings down as he began to assess what was currently happening.

This was the exact reason why he didn't want Mamori to be with him, especially during their last year in Saikyoudai. He knew this company was tailing him after he began to show signs of leaving them, and they were not happy. The company was power hungry now, to the point of going behind his back and approaching Agon to get their dirty work done instead. That had been the last straw for Hiruma, with that bit of meddling inadvertently affecting their game at the X-League, even if the outcome would have been the same.

Not long after the game, Hiruma received a call from the company, offering the chance to be a part of an NFL team in America. He'd refused flat out. But he should have known it was easy to trace Mamori's relations with him just by taking a peek in his apartment. Despite his attempts to keep his distance, he could not deny he needed her presence as he planned their next game.

But now they were threatening to ruin her life if he refused to do as they say. Damn it.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. A text message. Hiruma pulled out and eyed the name of the sender for a moment. Then he read:

_I know you may be busy right now, but I have something important to talk to you about. Can you meet me tomorrow? Come to the city cafe._

_- Mamori._

Hiruma stared blankly at the phone for a minute. It was dangerous to meet her, even with the fact that he had to meet this team from America.

He was about to type he would be busy, believing it would be for the best when he recalled his promise to Mamori made what felt like many years ago.

_Wait for me._

She was still waiting for him, he was sure. He had known for a long time now. He couldn't possibly prolong this any further than it should as that would hurt her even more. Surely he could come up with a plan by tomorrow morning, execute it and then he would be free to see her, at least for a few minutes.

Maybe by then, he could finally end this waiting. For the both of them.

He began to type quickly on his phone:

_I will be late. But I'll be there._

_- Hiruma._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes:** Sorry this took so long... so many fics to write, so little time! In return, this chapter's kinda long so hopefully you all enjoy this. There's another pairing I included in here, and it's dedicated to dayofcaligula from Livejournal who's been a fan since the first chapter of Gravity and has been faithfully following this story ever since. This is her favourite pairing and it definitely needs more love too (even if there's no canon, but they're adorable), so I thought I'd slip them into this story as it'd help quite a bit with Mamori's development. If I made any of the characters OOC, do let me know! Until then, enjoy the chapter!

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><p>"Why did you take Agon out of the team?"<p>

Hiruma knew she was bound to ask that question. "Didn't I tell you and the rest of the team? He fucked up with the law during his last escapade and almost cost the team the chance to play for the Rice Bowl. Of course I had to kick him out."

He saw her eyes narrow in suspicion, arms crossed in a stance of defiance. "You don't believe me?" he decided to speak up. She remained silent as she continued to stare at his face, as if she was hoping he would crack under her glare. "If you have a problem with this, just fucking shout it out already and get it over with."

"... I trust you."

His eyes were rested on hers now, both steady and calm. "I don't know what you've been up to lately," she continued, "but I want to believe that you're doing this for the good of this team, our team. I trust you, Hiruma-kun."

He cackled. "I always wonder if you'll ever regret saying such words to me."

She smiled at him. "Never. You taught me that."

oOo

With all her studies done and all tournaments have now ended, Mamori was suddenly at a loss at all the free time she had. She woke up early as usual and though she told herself to sleep in, she knew it was impossible. Deciding that staying in bed was a waste of time, she woke up, had her breakfast, did some menial chores and tried to read up on some books she had been keeping for a while. She picked one up and did her best to focus on the story, yet despite how much she had always wanted to read this book, she felt restless.

She wondered if it was because she wasn't used to being this free. Around this hour she would either be rushing with assignments, studying or even working with children as part of her course. Or she was with the Saikyoudai Wizards, helping them with their training, planning out practice courses and plays...

And going through them all with Hiruma.

Mamori leaned back on the couch she was on and put her book aside for a moment. Closing her eyes, she wondered if it was a good idea to have bothered him to come see her later today after sending him a text on what she believed was just a spur of the moment issue. She shouldn't have let Sara and Ako get to her like that. She shouldn't be worried about something like whether she should wait for Hiruma or not. She knew the answer to that, without a doubt.

Yet for some reason, she was worried. Thinking back on the days before the Rice Bowl, there were signs of Hiruma being a lot more distant than usual. It still boggled her as to why Hiruma got outright mad at her when she wanted to leave for Sara's birthday party, and that he kept being cold about it for a long while. It wasn't until the game drew closer that he finally warmed up to her again. But though he was finally talking to her like he usually did, she could sense a wall had already been built between them.

She shifted her back to a more comfortable position. It was probably a silly thing to worry about. Hiruma had always built a wall around himself, this much she had known since she first saw him in Deimon. So why was she noticing it now? Since when was she even aware that his walls were usually lowered whenever she was with him?

_She could see his back towards her, walking forward confidently. She follows behind him, closely at first. She was sure that she had been by his side earlier, but for a moment, she'll let him go first. Just for a moment, like she's done many times before..._

_But the gap keeps growing. She's running towards him now. One arm outstretched, his name rested on her lips. She opened her mouth to call him now, to tell him to wait for her, but no voice passes her lips, no sound could escape her throat. All she could do was watch him go further and further... until she feels her foot stumble onto something and she was falling quickly, the sight of the ground before her..._

_Then everything went black._

Mamori jolted for a moment, her eyes swiftly opened in shock. Looking around frantically, she realized she had accidentally fallen asleep. She sighed. "Stop thinking so much..." she told herself as she rubbed her temple. Keeping to herself was obviously doing nothing to keep her calm. Picking up her book once more, she decided she was better off being surrounded by busy people to keep her thoughts away from worrying unnecessarily.

She left her place and went out to be greeted by a warm, sunny day. It was a good day to be out, and the warmth and fresh air did manage to comfort her just a little. She walked around aimlessly, uncertain of where to go first. Heading to the city cafe now would be a waste of time as she knew she would be too early. Going to the library to read would defeat the purpose of her leaving her place initially. Deciding that the park would do, she set off, allowing her mind to be distracted by the sights and sounds around her.

She reached the park and was glad to see that there were a few people walking around, be it couples, people rushing to their destinations, or families spending a day out. Feeling a little better now, Mamori looked for a place she could sit for a moment, so she walked further into the park to where the fountain was...

And to her surprise, she noticed a familiar face. She approached the person and said, "Kongo-san?"

Unsui was sitting by the fountain and almost jumped in shock when he heard his name being called. He looked around to see that it was Anezaki Mamori, team manager of the Saikyoudai Wizards. "Ah, Anezaki-san! I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Neither did I!" cried Mamori as she looked at Unsui and couldn't help but think of Agon in the process. It often fascinated her that the two of them were twins when they seem to be polar opposites. "How have you been, Kongo-san? Congratulations on Enma winning the Rice Bowl! You and the rest of the team have worked really hard this year! Oh, and thank you for taking care of Sena!"

Unsui rubbed his shaved head, looking away bashfully. "Haha, you speak too highly of me, Anezaki-san. And you can call me Unsui, Kongo reminds me of my brother. Speaking of which, thank you for taking care of my brother... I'm sure he must have been a handful."

Mamori shrugged slightly. "He can be, but we know how to handle him. Once you know how he works, it's easy to find a way to get him to listen."

"I must admit, I admire your ability to handle someone like Agon and even Hiruma in your team," said Unsui. "It takes a lot of guts and patience for sure."

Mamori could only laugh lightly as she shook her head. "It's really not a big deal..." Hoping to keep the conversation away from touching on Hiruma, Mamori decided to ask something that caught her attention the moment she approached Unsui. "I noticed you're holding a present... are you meeting someone soon?"

Unsui couldn't hide the blush creeping on his face, as he stared at the present wrapped in a simple light blue paper. "Erm... yeah... I'm waiting for my date."

"Your date!" Mamori exclaimed, a little too loudly. A few people turned their heads to look at Mamori, who nervously bowed in apology to the people around her and even to Unsui. "I'm sorry, I'm just so surprised! I didn't know you were going out with someone, Unsui-san."

"It's all right, Anezaki-san..." he glanced down at the present in his hands, wearing a soft expression. "It's not like it's a big deal or anything..."

"Oh, you shouldn't say that! If it's someone very special to you, it's no small matter at all..." Mamori shifted her legs, wondering if she should leave Unsui alone.

Unsui seemed to sense this. "Are you busy, Anezaki-san?"

"Eh?"

Unsui shrugged. "Truthfully, I could use a bit of company right now..."

"But your date...?"

A gentle smile formed on Unsui's lips. "She's usually late. It's all right, she's not the type to get jealous if she sees me with another girl. Besides, she knows you..."

"Knows me?" Mamori was curious now as she drew closer to Unsui. He shifted to the side to let Mamori sit next to him on the fountain. "Wait... who are you dating? Well, if you don't mind me asking..."

His smile widened, he looked away from Mamori and she could see his eyes grew distant for a moment. "Koizumi Karin."

"From Teikoku?" Mamori clasped her hands over her mouth, exasperated that she had to be ridiculously loud. "I'm so sorry, Unsui-san... I've been so rude!"

"It's fine," Unsui assured her. "I'd probably react the same way if I were in your shoes too. I didn't expect this to happen to me, either... sometimes it feels like a dream."

There it was again, that soft expression on Unsui's face. It made Mamori smile. "You must be very happy, Koizumi-san is a really nice person."

"She is," said Unsui, almost breathless. Then he caught himself and coughed, "I mean... I'm aware of how nice she is, and am grateful that she's willing to be with someone like me."

"But you're a really nice person, Unsui!" said Mamori enthusiastically. "I'm sure Karin can see that in you too..."

Unsui nervously smiled and nodded. They sat there for a moment, the sound of gushing water behind them to break their momentary silence. "How long have you been waiting for her?" Mamori asked.

Unsui looked at his wristwatch. "Roughly an hour by now..."

Mamori's eyes widened at this fact. "Were you early?"

"No, she's late," Unsui laughed.

Mamori proceeded to frown. "That's rare... for a girl to be late."

"Kari-I mean," Unsui looked away nervously. "Koizumi gets caught up with her work sometimes. She's training to be a manga artist, after all, and catching deadlines is important."

"Oh, I heard about that," Mamori nodded. "Shouldn't you call her and let her know that you're waiting?"

Unsui shook his head. "I'd rather not bother her when she's concentrating. This isn't the first time she's done it, so I'm quite used to it. I'm sure she's realized it by now and is rushing here already."

"... Is it really all right?"

Unsui looked at Mamori curiously now as she had an odd expression on her face. Mamori blinked and shook her hands, "Ah! I'm sorry! That's such a weird question to ask..."

"Is something bothering you, Anezaki-san?"

"Eh?" She looked back at Unsui, wondering why he asked that.

"You look really worn out as if something's troubling you... and your face looked quite sad when you asked me that."

"O-oh..." Mamori brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry... It's just..." She took a deep breath. "I was just wondering if it was all right for you to wait for so long... whether it gets frustrating at times, and when do you know to stop waiting. But I suppose it's a weird question to ask, isn't it? I shouldn't be asking you this when you're obviously waiting for Koizumi-san."

Unsui smiled supportively. He glanced at the present in his hands for a moment and said, "I guess you have a point... sometimes I wonder why do I do this, but mostly because I believe I'm not worthy of her time. I won't deny, sometimes I sit here and wonder what would happen if she forgets about me completely, and that I wasted my time waiting here for so long..."

Mamori nodded in understanding. "Then... how do you get over those feelings? The ones that make you doubt so much?"

"I don't know..." Unsui laughed, then he spoke slowly. "I suppose the moment I see her running towards me, hair loose from her braid and breathless... the moment my eyes find her, suddenly it all makes sense even when it shouldn't. I think even when you tell yourself that it's useless to wait, if it's someone very important to you, your heart will make you stay. Even if I were to walk away from this fountain right now, my heart will be right here, waiting patiently..."

The soft expression on Unsui's face and the words that came out of his mouth made Mamori's heart beat a little faster. She looked away, wondering why and if she should be ashamed of herself... but as she closed her eyes for a moment, the image of her dream flashed before her.

_He's so far away..._

"UNSUI!"

Mamori and Unsui jolted to see Karin running towards them. As Unsui had said, her braid had come loose and she was struggling to breath the moment she rushed before them. Unsui set the present aside, stood up instantly and walked towards her, arms held out for her to hold on to them. "I'm sorry," Karin gasped. "I'm so sorry, Unsui..."

"Catch your breath," said Unsui, as he continued to support her. Mamori stood up, smiling and believing it was time for her to go.

"Eh? Anezaki-san?"

Karin was looking at her now. "Oh, I'm really sorry if I'm interrupting you both!" Mamori flustered.

"Not at all!" Unsui quickly spoke up, then looked at Karin. "Anezaki-san was walking past when she stumbled into me, so I thought it'd be good to have her company for a while..."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Karin bowed towards Mamori. "It's all my fault! If only I had come here sooner! I'm sorry for making the both of you wait!"

"No, it's fine!" Mamori bowed quickly. "I had some free time anyways and besides, Unsui-san was great company for me too. I hope you don't mind..."

"It's really not a bother at all!" Karin looked at Unsui, smiling brightly. "I treat Unsui terribly, leaving him here alone like this. We're going to an art exhibition later on, but why don't you join us for lunch, Anezaki-san?"

"Oh!" Mamori shook her head vigorously. "I shouldn't! It's your date after all, I shouldn't intrude!"

Unsui and Karin shared a momentary glance. "We really don't mind," Unsui smiled. "Besides, you still haven't told me what's bothering you..."

Mamori stared at the two of them incredulously. She found it hard to believe that both Unsui and Karin were willing to have her intrude on their date, but she was touched by their kindness and how they wanted to keep her company. She glanced at the fountain and saw the present seated comfortably on the ledge. Smiling softly, Mamori picked up the present and passed it to Unsui. "Thank you for the lovely offer... but there's someone I need to wait for as well, and my heart won't rest until I'm there."

Unsui was shocked by Mamori's words, but as he took the present from her, he smiled and said, "I see... you better be there then. Take care and good luck."

Karin looked confused for a moment, but she smiled at Mamori and said, "I hope we can meet up again soon, Anezaki-san! We really should catch up sometime!"

"We should!" Mamori nodded with a grin. "I'd really love to see you again, Koizumi-san! I'll call you sometime... until then, I really hope you both have a great day!"

Both Unsui and Karin blushed simultaneously, causing Mamori to giggle as she waved them off and walked on, her heart now set at waiting at the city cafe, no matter how long it took.

"Is Anezaki-san all right?" asked Karin.

Unsui smiled a little sadly as he passed the present to Karin and held his arm out. "I don't know... but I'd like to believe she will be."

Karin held the present close to her heart and smiled as she held on to Unsui's arm.

oOo

Hiruma found the NFL American Football Team practicing on Saikyoudai grounds as mentioned. They were big, burly looking men, as expected from American Football players. He wondered why they would still want someone like him. Even so, there were no signs of his own football team, which was a good thing. He didn't want to be caught by anyone from his team at this point. It would be risky.

A man with white blonde hair and a wrinkled face came up to Hiruma upon spotting him. Hiruma knew instantly this must be the coach. "Youichi Hiruma, I presume?" said the man in his thick American accent.

"Yes," Hiruma replied in English. "You must be the coach for this Football Team."

"That'd be me," the coach smiled, his wrinkles reached his eyes. "I hope you're as excited as I am to join the team. I've heard and read a lot about you. You're a great tactician and it's exactly what our team needs at the moment..."

"I'll cut this short, Fucking Wrinkles," Hiruma's tongue as sharp as ever, even in English. "I have no interest in joining this team under the pretext of serving that Fucking Company that sent you here."

The coach's smile disappeared instantly, his wrinkles sagging on his face. "Listen here, kid..." he spoke softly. "I wouldn't recommend talking like that, especially for the company you're working for. We're both being paid big time to do this, so just play along. We both want what's best for us, right?"

Hiruma glanced at the team behind the coach. From his short observation, Hiruma could tell that this team was good, but weren't as tight as they should be. The Linebackers weren't protecting their Runningback as he ran across the field, focusing instead on the other team's Quarterback. A risky move. But that's the basis of American Football. Everything was risky.

So was his life at the moment. And Mamori's.

With a grin that gave the coach the creeps, Hiruma said, "I have a proposition to make."

* * *

><p><strong>Extra Notes:<strong> A serious question to all my readers, and to also make sure this is all right... I'm seriously contemplating in putting in smut in the later chapters of this fic, mostly cause I think this could help with the development of my story. I'm not planning to give anything away yet, but this would require me changing the ratings of this fic to M. I don't know how many of you are underage, but DO let me know if you don't mind smut and want me to keep the smut within this fic (and I will change the ratings), or would you rather I keep the smut separately on my Livejournal so as to keep the rating T as well as help those who aren't fond of reading smut in fics. Please let me know on this! Your input will help a lot!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes: **While I had hoped to finally get right down to what's going to happen in this fic, it turned out that I still have a lot of building up to do. Ah well... I hope that at the end of it all, the build up makes sense and aids the story somehow. I promise we will get to the heart of the story in the next chapter!

Thank you to everyone who responded on my question on whether to have smut in this fic! I have made up my mind that smut will remain on my LiveJournal as it makes things a lot easier in a sense. I call it the "darker route" considering how things play out there, but the "safer route" will be more accessible on and now DeviantArt since I've now begun to post my chaptered fics there. I will have further explanation for those who want to read the darker route once I reach that specific chapter. It's still quite a while away, so no worries about that for now.

Until then, enjoy this chapter. ^^

A BIG thank you to Elis for helping me expand and work on this chapter better! Agon is such a pain in the ass to write! XD

* * *

><p>It had been by pure coincidence that Mamori noticed how badly bruised Hiruma was. During one of their usual spats at practice, she'd landed a well-practiced smack on his back and although most of their teammates didn't notice a thing, she knew something was wrong. The sharp wince and light growl that escaped his lips gave away all Mamori needed to know to start worrying about him.<p>

At the end of practice, she made him stay back with her despite his put-on nonchalance. Her worry overrode any reluctance she might normally feel over the insinuations her actions might cause and she began to unbutton his shirt.

"Come now, Fucking Manager, do you really want me that badly?" he drawled, backing away from her. She frowned, "That's not what this is about!" Yet she persisted and yanked his shirt off. "All you had to do was fucking ask. Didn't have to fucking put us in this rape scenario." A smirk adorned his face even as she gasped at the sight of a deep dark bruise on his back shoulder blade that she could not recall him getting during practice.

They were silent for a moment, both wondering what to do now. Questions filled Mamori's mind. Of the endless possibilities of how Hiruma could have gotten that bruise, of how to best breach the subject with him. And Hiruma's quick mind began to plan out all the various routes to snake out of any possible questions Mamori would throw at him.

"Where were you last night?" Mamori finally asked.

'Ah...' Hiruma thought, she was taking this route. "I had work to do."

Silence reigned once more as Mamori slowly backed away from him and headed for the First Aid Kit. She bit her lip, trying her best not to bombard him with her fears. "Do you get hurt often when you do it?"

Hiruma didn't reply, he was certain now that Mamori had an inkling of what he was up to. But he couldn't tell her anything yet. The Rice Bowl was coming and his work was getting a lot more dangerous than he had calculated. Maybe someday, once he had everything under control, when this was over...

But until then, he would have to keep his mask on for a little longer.

oOo

Corruption and greed. Hiruma understood these words well, having been an observer and a participant of these practices. It is ironic how humankind's biggest weakness is their desire for power and their willingness to do anything to gain it. It was these weaknesses that gave Hiruma the kind of information he needed for his own power to do whatever he wanted.

But like a double-edged sword, it had its consequences. Files in place, Hiruma knew he didn't have much time. This was the last company he was going to visit today before he would be rushing off to see Mamori. His experience today had led him to see the faces of the most corrupted people, most of them a victim of others' corruption, and he watched as their expressions turned to horror the moment they saw him.

Who could blame them, he was pretty much the reason their businesses will never grow, having become nothing more than puppets to the bigger organization that was pulling strings on even Hiruma. There were doubts, some accused him of lying. He had been prepared for that and used every trick in the book for them to take on his offer. Sweet talking, narrow options, and finally, remove all doubt.

The only thing he didn't do, though, was blackmail. He had done it before to them, and forcing them to sway to his will again by using that method would remove all chances of them helping him. He had to be smarter than that.

All he needed was for one more company to be on his side, and the door to finally be free from that fucking company would be open. It was getting late, and Hiruma knew he didn't have much time.

Just a few blocks away from the final company, Hiruma noticed a familiar teammate standing by the corner. He had hoped that this teammate hadn't seen him and he could just continue pretending that they hadn't seen each other, but he knew he was merely pushing his luck.

"Think you could run away from me, Fucking Trash?" sneered Agon as he approached Hiruma.

"Fuck off, Fucking Dreads," Hiruma narrowed his eyes. His eyes pierced through the crowd, wondering if Agon was sent to him on purpose. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I went to check up on you to make sure you met that coach from America. I heard the most interesting news from him..."

"Really now?" Hiruma grinned. "Did you have to beat him up for it?"

"Fuck no," Agon laughed. "I must say I can see why the company got him on his side easily. He's an easy bastard to manipulate to your liking."

"So you noticed that, too, huh? But that doesn't warrant you coming all the way to see me. Even that Fucking Coach doesn't know about this plan."

"Since you didn't take up the offer, I knew you must have had some backup plan ready. So I did my own little digging around," said Agon as he crossed his arms in a superior stance. "You're not the only one with contacts, you know."

"Well don't you deserve an award?" Hiruma didn't feel like hanging around anymore, so he began to walk forward. Agon didn't take to his actions well. He grabbed Hiruma's arm, and while Hiruma definitely had a tough build with his American Football training, their current position made it easy for Agon to snap his arm in two.

"Don't think you're getting away from me that easily, you Fucking Trash," Agon glared at him, his tone serious.

"So what do you want from me now, Fucking Dreads?" Hiruma glared back. "Do you want me to fucking follow you back to that damn company? Did they send you here so that you can fucking beat me up, I'll change my mind and do whatever the fuck you say? Just like they always tell you to do? How much did they pay you for this?"

"Save your pity talk for later," said Agon, realising that his approach definitely wasn't ideal. Loosening his grip, he continued, "And no, I'm not under their orders. I came here on my own accord. If I wanted to beat you to a pulp, I wouldn't do it out in the open and risk sending my ass to the lockers."

Hiruma pulled his arm away from Agon. "That's true, but if you really were sent by them, do me a fucking favour and pass them the message that I'm already setting up a plan to get back at them, and if they don't release Anezaki, they're going to be in some deep shit."

"I just fucking told you I wasn't sent by them," said Agon who was now smiling wickedly himself. "But out of my own curiosity, I'd like to know about your little plan to put them in deep shit. Sounds like something right down my alley."

Hiruma was about to keep walking when he heard what Agon said and turned to look at him. "The fuck? Are you helping me?"

Agon slung an arm over Hiruma's shoulder. "It's not like the first time we've worked together, Fucking Trash. Besides, I'd like to see that fucking company burn itself to the ground."

Hiruma didn't like the weight of Agon's arm bearing down upon him. The fucking idiot had the tendency of doing so whenever he wanted to make a deal and this annoyed Hiruma in particular. Shrugging him off, Hiruma smirked, "Doing this to fucking get back at them for not picking your fucking ass to be shipped off to America, are you?"

"Oh, I don't know," Agon feigned ignorance despite obviously not being so. "I just hate that fucking company. They're the reason I couldn't play in the last Rice Bowl, and the fact that they can twist your life around their fingers made me realise they could easily do the same fucking thing to me."

Smart choice of words, Hiruma told himself, although he knew Agon was mostly pissed off that he didn't get the chance to play in an NFL team. But seeing as their goal was the same, Hiruma didn't mind having Agon tag along. He could be useful in the worst possible event that Hiruma calculated could happen later on with a 48% chance. And the more time he wasted, the higher that number was going to be. "Fine," Hiruma regained his grin. "Get your ass moving then. I'll tell you the plan as we go along."

Hiruma began walking forward with Agon beside him. Agon's eyes were now staring right at the files in Hiruma's hand. "So is that your secret weapon?" he asked.

"Pretty fucking much," Hiruma replied. "How much do you know of the plan?"

"I called one of the companies you approached. They sounded really freaked out and couldn't quite give me the details, but it seems you've been giving them inside information on the main company."

"That's because it's information that will make it easy for them to press blackmail charges on the main company," Hiruma replied casually, recalling their reactions when he approached them. "Of course they would freak out, they'd be challenging the guys who pretty much took over their company and made them just as corrupted. Doing this will expose their own weaknesses and risk losing their own business in the process."

"Fuck," Agon cursed, a little too loudly that passers-by stared at the duo curiously. Agon quickly dropped a tone in his voice, "Are you seriously making them press charges then? How could you even convince them to do that? I thought you'd be making things right with them, not make them dig their own graves!"

"Or what, let them continue their charade of being under a great company when their paychecks are being withheld and their own resources are being taken up without their consent? They're fucking afraid because they have a lot to lose, that's why if they know they aren't alone in pressing charges, the focus will be entirely on the main company and within the chaos, they can save whatever they need to start over."

"You don't look too happy with that plan though," said Agon, looking at Hiruma's expression.

"That's because even with this information, their actions could pave the way to more corruption. What I'm giving them is more power in their hands that could ultimately bring them to their own destruction if they're not careful. I've set out the guidelines, listed down the risks, but even then, they're still capable of going down the same path as the main company."

"So the cycle never ends, eh?"

Hiruma grinned. "Ah, in this business? Corruption is a part of life."

"And that's why you want out?"

Hiruma didn't say anything as the building he was headed for drew closer before them. He knew he had thrown himself into this world on purpose. He couldn't deny that having gained all this information had helped him greatly in getting things done his way. Why would he want out of something that had been nothing but beneficial to him?

He knew the answer. And it involved a certain manager that was waiting for him right at that very moment.

oOo

Reading in the city cafe proved to be the exact atmosphere Mamori needed to feel a little better, but it still wasn't quite right. While the words her eyes had been skimming listlessly for the past few moments were finally taking form in coherent sentences and thus a faint hold of her interest, her eyes continued to dart toward the door the moment someone entered the cafe, especially if it was a guy of Hiruma's built and stature.

She glanced at the clock hanging over the counter and saw that it was already past 6pm. As Hiruma had mentioned, he was late, though at this point Mamori felt that it was unreasonably so.

Instantly, Mamori's instincts warned her that something bad might be happening to him. With the way he had been lately, and the fact that he said he might be late, everything pointed toward the fact that something was happening and Hiruma was keeping her out of the loop on purpose.

Memories of her finding him injured or bruised by something that definitely wasn't Football-related filled her mind. Pressing her lips together, she contemplated calling him at least to see if he was okay.

Mamori let out a groan as she placed the book down for a moment. She desperately needed to talk to him, but she knew she had no choice right now but to trust him on this. She finally decided that if he didn't come in another half an hour, she would attempt to contact him and do her best to not give him a piece of her mind there and then.

"Anezaki?"

It was not his voice, but it was familiar all the same. As she wondered for a second how many coincidental encounters she was going to have today, Mamori looked up to find Yamato Takeru standing at her table, looking at her curiously.

"Yamato-kun!" Mamori gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just buying some coffee to go," said Yamato, smiling that handsome smile he was popularly known for back in Teikoku and even in Saikyoudai. "What about you?"

"Oh, just..." Mamori fidgeted in her seat, nervously. "Waiting... for someone."

"Someone important?" Yamato's smile reached his eyes and Mamori couldn't help but wonder if he knew who she meant.

"I suppose you could say that."

"Judging by how worn out you look, you've been waiting for a while."

Mamori shrugged, trying to put on an air of indifference to her situation. But she felt sure the lines she made on her forehead from worrying so much were now permanently there and visible to even Yamato. She watched as he approached her, obviously concerned. "Yamato… kun?"

As he continued to observe Mamori's face, Yamato suddenly smiled and pointed towards the counter, "You know, seeing as I'm pretty much free for the night, what say I accompany you until the person you're waiting for comes?"

"Oh no, you don't have to!" said Mamori as she began to wonder what Hiruma would think if he found Yamato with her... would he mind? Hiruma always worked well with Yamato, but since Yamato rebuked Hiruma in her defense, Hiruma had been cold even to him.

"Don't worry about it," Yamato assured her, smile still in place. "Besides, it'd be nice to have a good chat with you, seeing as we'll be graduating soon and going our separate ways. I'd love to catch up with you now that we have the chance."

Mamori continued to glance at the doorway, still worrying in her heart about the situation she had just gotten herself into. Surely, it's all right to just chat with him for a moment... right? "Okay... fine. Just one cup of coffee."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes:** It's only been a month and yet it feels like forever since my last update. D8 I apologise for that, so much other writing to do, work as well as it being the Christmas/Holiday season made it hard for me to sit and concentrate on this particular chapter. Speaking of which...

We finally have Yamato in the picture, and my, he was a tricky person to write. I hope I got his characterisation down well... I had Elis go through it and she pointed out some stuff which would help capture his character better (thanks, hun!). If there are still errors, please feel free to point it out! Until then... enjoy the 5th chapter. ^^

**EDIT:** This chapter has been edited as of January 18 2012. I apologise for all the trouble I've made on changing this chapter! After going through and thinking about this over and over, I realised that I portrayed Yamato a little too darkly initially and that he came off too strong. While there WAS a reason for him being this way, I decided it was better I tone it down as I feared I may continue portraying him like this which wasn't my intention. DO let me know if these changes are better, or if something still isn't quite right. I'm so sorry for the trouble!

* * *

><p>"Will you be all right in time for the Rice Bowl?" Mamori had asked Hiruma casually as they went through the Enma Fire's data.<p>

"Of course I'll be fucking all right," he replied without bothering to look at her. "No fucking way am I letting some bruise stop me."

Mamori nodded absent mindedly, her mind filled with the information before her. "Stubborn as usual," she whispered unknowingly. Hiruma heard her, but he didn't bother to reply. There was no time.

A bigger crisis had laid out before them. "That Fucking Shorty..."

"He's not short anymore, Hiruma-kun," Mamori quickly corrected him as she watched the Fire's play against Zokuto.

"Yamato won't be able to beat him anymore."

That caught Mamori's attention. She joined Hiruma before his laptop and gasped when she saw a short video of Sena's play, as well as the statistics Hiruma had typed out in a document next to the video.

"I-It's all right..." Mamori assured him. "Yamato is a strong player, he's proven himself before. Besides, we need to trust him and the rest of our team. We cannot be disheartened by this."

"If we lose..." Hiruma closed his laptop and looked up at Mamori seriously. "What will you do?"

Mamori kept silent, waiting for him to add his usual taunts like "Will you cry like a baby?", but he continued to look at her with a serious expression. With confidence, she said, "I will greet you all with a smile and tell myself that I had the best Football season for the past three years with you."

oOo

Uneasiness swept through Mamori as Yamato settled himself in the seat across her, coffee in hand. She knew it was an unusual feeling to have, Yamato being both a former teammate and a good friend to have. He had been there for her a few times when the players were unbearable and she had her doubts over silly things like her studies. But no matter how much she assured herself that Yamato being with her was fine, her heart continued to be restless.

It was still telling her to continue looking at the door.

"How have you been lately, Anezaki?"

The question broke through her thoughts and forced her to look away from the door where more people had just walked in; none of them being who she hoped would come. Doing her best to focus, Mamori put on a smile as she said, "I've been all right. I can't deny I've been nervous at the prospect of graduating and moving on to the working world, but I think I'll do all right."

"Of course you'll do all right!" Yamato laughed, confident smile in place. "You're a smart, beautiful and charming woman. After being a part of the Devil Bats and the Wizards, I'm sure you'll be able to take on any challenges ahead of you."

"Charming as usual, Yamato-kun... but thank you for the compliment," Mamori blushed as she laughed in embarrassment, though her eyes strayed for a moment to look at the door once more.

_What time is it? Should I call him now?_

"You seem pretty distracted though..." Yamato looked concerned now as he took a sip of his coffee. "Is something bothering you? You could tell me, if you want to."

"Hmm..." Mamori quickly switched her gaze back to Yamato, deciding it was all right to at least talk about one of her concerns. "I suppose you could say that. It's just so hard to believe that we'll all be graduating and parting ways. You're graduating pretty early yourself, aren't you? Especially since you only took a Pre-University course. I'll miss you... and the rest of the Wizards will surely miss you."

"Not as much as they will miss you and the rest of the seniors," Yamato smiled a little sadly. "This was truly one of the best teams I've played with, one that didn't depend on elitism or ranking. It was all based on a player's abilities and what they can contribute, and it was a learning experience for me. It's sad that things have to change."

The feeling of uneasiness within Mamori grew a little upon hearing those words. Things have to change... "Where will you be going after this? Will you continue playing American Football?"

To her surprise, Yamato shook his head. "Not for a while."

Mamori could not hide her shock. "Why? You were once the great Eyeshield 21 of Notre Dame! You're one of the strongest players Japan has ever seen! Why would you stop?"

Yamato laughed; there was a hint of sadness to it but also amusement at Mamori's outburst. Mamori herself, remained oblivious to the stares she'd attracted. "There are a number of reasons why I'm quitting football for now. Among the reasons, I suppose is I've been accepted into Tokyo University and I need to focus on my studies."

"Oh!" Mamori clapped her hands over her mouth. "That's amazing, Yamato! Congratulations! But I'm pretty sure you could still..."

"Yes, I'm aware I could still continue to play, and I probably will though it would mostly be casual," Yamato took another sip of coffee, a more serious expression on his face. "But I've decided to aim for something much bigger than playing football."

Mamori's expression fell in disbelief and confusion. "I don't understand... what could be bigger than football for someone like you, Yamato?"

"I'll be very frank with you, Anezaki, I hope you don't mind," said Yamato with a smile that did not reach his eyes. "But let me ask you something. Let's say you're a Japanese American Football player and you've won every championship and tournament available in Japan... Heck, you've even played in the World Cup Tournament. Where do you go next?"

"You aim higher, you go to the birthplace of American Football... America itself," replied Mamori.

"That's true, you will want to join the world's biggest, most renowned American Football league, the NFL. Now I've been to America, I've played for them and had the chance to 'experience' the culture there. It's a tough world, trying to get into the NFL," Yamato's eyes glazed over, remembering the times he was beaten up during his tenure there, as well as why he'd been sent back to Japan. "You may have won the battle of being a part of a renown team in an American college... but that does not warrant you will play for the NFL."

Mamori struggled to contain her disbelief. Was Yamato truly saying those things? The guy who used to believe in absolute victory? "You could still fight for it though, it's not too late! Look at Sena, he made it in Notre Dame as well, didn't he? Nothing is impossible!"

"Ah, yes, Kobayakawa Sena..." Yamato chuckled. "He's also one of the reasons I made this decision."

"Because... he surpassed you?"

"You saw how it was during the last Rice Bowl. We were beaten because I couldn't defeat Kobayakawa."

"That's not true!" Mamori quickly spoke up. "You really did your best, Yamato! But we had to remove Agon from the team and..." She bit her lip, remembering her talks with Hiruma and how much the Enma Fires had grown, particularly Sena.

Yamato smiled in understanding as he took another sip of coffee. "Truth to be told, I've known since my return from overseas that I cannot depend on Football alone. I may be a great player in Japan, but if someone like Kobayakawa can beat me here, what are the chances if I go to America? No, I must take a different route now. Being a Football player in today's age is not a realistic thing to do, there would be too many losses."

"So... what do you intend to do now?"

"I'll be majoring in Business and Management, and if all goes well I'll take on Sports Science too," said Yamato, turning back into his confident self. "Once I'm done, I'll be taking over my Uncle's business and start a team here in Japan that I can run, perhaps coach and then work on making it international."

"That... sounds great..." Mamori's voice faltered though she tried to be supportive.

"Think of the possibilities, Anezaki!" said Yamato, noting the downcast tone in her voice. "With my own conglomerate, bigger, stronger ties with America can be built and with that I can make American Football in Japan known worldwide, not limited to America alone. There is even a possibility that with my efforts, Japanese players would finally be accepted in the NFL. When my business becomes strong enough, anything is possible! And that's why I've chosen this path. It's a lot more realistic, it's logical... and it will definitely be my win. Don't you think so?"

It wasn't going away, the uneasiness in her heart. But she couldn't help but admire Yamato at that moment, and how he had found a path that he could certainly claim as his own using his absolute prediction. "It's a great plan for sure," Mamori nodded. "I hope everything goes well for you..."

Music rang from Yamato's pocket. Mamori watched curiously as Yamato pulled out his phone to read a message he had just received and noticed the change in his expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, not at all," Yamato smiled as he looked at her and put the phone away. "Though I think you'd want to know about this... This morning a couple of students noticed there were some foreign American Football players on Saikyoudai's field today."

"Foreign?" Mamori sat up. "Could they be American?"

"That's what I wanted to find out, and so far the people who had a chance to talk to them confirmed they were American and came all the way from America to meet with someone."

Her eyes widened. "Who? It has to be someone from our team then!"

Yamato looked straight into her eyes, making Mamori nervous. "It's just a rumour... I cannot confirm it. But it would seem that they were looking for Hiruma."

It was as if the world around her had crashed and became silent, the walls she'd unknowingly built had finally fallen to reveal a truth she should have known long ago, but refused to see.

_I will be late._

Mamori quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Hiruma's number. "Anezaki?" Yamato spoke up.

But she didn't reply; all she heard was an automatic voice telling her the number she had dialed could not be reached. Her heart sank further. "It can't be..."

"Why aren't you taking this news well, Anezaki?" asked Yamato, who seemed rather surprise at Mamori's reaction. "I think out of everyone in Saikyoudai, Hiruma seems to be the likeliest person to create such a chance to play in America. Though, who knows?" Yamato chuckled as he took another sip of coffee. "Maybe he used his little black book just to do that."

"That can't be..." Mamori spoke louder. "He's not like that! Hiruma-kun may do the most outrageous things, but he'll never blackmail to get into America!"

"But you cannot deny he would definitely take the chance to play in America, right?"

A lump formed in Mamori's throat. She couldn't speak, she couldn't think. She just nodded slowly.

Yamato looked at her with a cautious expression. It was obvious what was going through Mamori's mind. "Don't you think if Hiruma gets the chance to play for the NFL, he should go? Especially when it comes to something this big for him career-wise. If he wishes to continue playing football, there isn't much else to look forward to in Japan. Trust me, I should know after all. Although I can't help but think of this question everytime I look at you..."

Yamato leaned closer towards Mamori, keeping her eyes locked on his. "What are you going to do now, Anezaki Mamori?"

oOo

"... You're serious?"

The incredulous look on the CEO's face would've been hilarious had it not been such a serious a moment. He was a skinny, unremarkable man, who fit the traditional look and built of a Japanese white collar worker with a gaunt face and glasses. His expression had been so serious and severe earlier that his sudden change of expression was amusing. So Hiruma merely grinned, crossing his arms as he sat back in his seat. "Fucking serious," he replied. "You now have the chance to take that fucked up company down."

"I'm sure you're aware what the consequences would be if I use this," the CEO looked through the files, a few more documents scattered across the table. "I just... I don't..."

"Excuse me," another voice spoke up. A younger man stood by the door, his mannerisms and demeanor hinted at more intelligence and capability than the current CEO. "May I have a word with all of you?"

"H-He's my Managing Director, Ikuhara Satoshi," the CEO made quick introductions to Hiruma. "Yes, come in."

Hiruma observed the Managing Director curiously. He knew who he was, Ikuhara. From what he gathered, he was a smart man and had good contacts, which was why Hiruma was certain Satoshi was aware of what was going on... which could only mean one thing...

"I know what you're up to, Hiruma Youichi," said Ikuhara as he sat across Hiruma. "News is spreading quickly."

"What do you mean, Satoshi?" asked the CEO.

Ikuhara looked at the CEO for a moment before continuing, "You've been giving a number of companies some information to take down that one major company. I don't know why you're doing this... but I'm sure you'd want to know if you're getting any results from this."

Hiruma sat up, feigning interest, though he already knew what was happening right at this moment. "Do enlighten me."

"The main company's stocks fell quite a bit just before the exchange closed," said Ikuhara. "There's talk that it will fall further tomorrow. Rumours alone are making their stockholder's uneasy and when one person breaks, the rest follow suit."

Hiruma didn't bother to hide the grin spreading across his face. It was exactly as he'd expected though, as it was happening a lot faster than he realised. "So... what are you going to do now?" he asked. "Are you going to add on the pressure? Or will you cower away?"

Ikuhara took the files the CEO had left sprawled on the table before them and looked through it. "This company used to have some form of honour," he spoke up. "You were a part of the reason why we became like this. While I hate the fact that you're definitely doing this for your own gain..." Ikuhara gathered the files together and gripped the bundle hard, his knuckles turning white. "I cannot deny that this will be beneficial for us in the long run."

"Satoshi!" the CEO cried.

"Mr. CEO, you've allowed yourself to be manipulated for far too long," said Ikuhara as he stood up. "Our company has been experiencing a huge turnover in staff and we're barely keeping any talent in. If this keeps up, the only thing keeping this company alive is our dependency on that major company that may someday decide we aren't worth it. I think it's time we make a change."

The CEO glanced at Hiruma for a moment before sighing in defeat. "You're right... I don't want to trust in you, Hiruma-san. But once again, you've found a way to leave us with no choice but to do this. I can only hope that you're doing this with good faith."

"Come now," Hiruma smirked. "I know I'm an asshole, but I'm not that cruel."

The obvious lie made both the CEO and Ikuhara uncomfortable as they laughed nervously along with him. But this was good... everything was going according to plan. Hiruma was sure he could head towards Mamori now, but something inside him warned that something wasn't right.

One of Hiruma's phones vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out to see that it was Agon calling. He had left his teammate outside of the company, mostly so that he wouldn't threaten or scare the CEO too much, and also as an added lookout for any suspicious activity.

He should've known that things would not go as smoothly as he hoped. Picking up the call, he heard Agon say, "We've got trouble."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes:** Valentine's Day has come and gone and while I was really busy with work, I did spend a bit of time to think about how far I've gone and how much I've grown. I think despite still being single, I'm still incredibly blessed and loved. And I owe a lot of that love to you amazing people reading my fics, supporting me through the years and through each story I've written. To those of you who're inspired by me, I cannot thank you enough. You, in turn, have inspired me too. I've lived a life where I had constantly doubted myself and my abilities, and today I realise I'm a lot more confident with what I do. So thank YOU. I would not have become this strong without your support, without your love for what I do. And I am glad to have you all as my readers and fellow friends. ^^

This chapter is going to be pretty dark, and I hope the scenarios are not far fetched to the point where it's hard to believe. Do let me know if I made any mistakes with the characters or the story, and I'll do my best to fix it. Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter and look out for the next one. ^^

Much love to Elis for her patience and help with getting this chapter done!

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><p>"You didn't have to shout at me in front of the rest of the team, you know," said Mamori, her arms crossed in anger as Hiruma took a seat inside the clubhouse and pulled out his laptop.<p>

"Keh, don't even try to start this again, Fucking Manager," Hiruma replied, switching on his laptop and avoiding Mamori's gaze.

Mamori was losing her patience at Hiruma's indifference. "I was only telling you that I won't make it for tomorrow's practice! I know the Rice Bowl is coming up but I thought you would at least understand and just give me that one day off, I owe my friends that much!"

"Yeah well, you got your fucking day off in the end, didn't you?" Hiruma's voice was spiteful. "Fucking Prince Charming stepped in to defend you against my fucking evil wrath. So go on, have your fucking fun! You earned it well enough!"

The urge to grab the closest object and fling it at the blonde head grew within Mamori. This was getting unreasonable. Sure, he was tired; Mamori was just as exhausted too. But nothing could warrant this kind of treatment she was getting from him. "Yes, Hiruma-kun, I did! I did earn it after all these years of being dedicated to the Wizards and being there for you! All I ask was just for one day off, and you start storming around on the field like a spoiled child claiming I don't know where my place is, and that I'm irresponsible! And you said it in front of the rest of the team, as if you wanted the whole world to know! Even if the idea was so unthinkable to you the least you could've done was to pull me in here and we could have discussed this privately like we've done before! I just don't understand why-"

"Shut your gabbing, I hear you just fine!" Hiruma tried to focus on the screen before him, but his normally calm mind was whirling and his own emotions were stirred up like a fucking snow storm. "I shout at every fucking person on the field, so why should you be any different! The Rice Bowl is coming, there's a lot to fucking do, and you want to go party? Do you see me giving that privilege to anyone else in the team?"

"That's not the point!" Mamori groaned in frustration. "Why can't you just be more like-"

"Like? Are you expecting me to be like your Fucking Prince Charming? Always smiling? Always fucking nice and kind to all the damn ladies? Then give up on that fucking vision and just go to him instead."

"That wasn't what I was trying to say!" Mamori was barely keeping herself in control. She knew she was on the verge of breaking. "I don't know why you had to twist my words like that, and why you're being like this. I..."

Hiruma took a short glance away from the screen to see Mamori close to tears and looking completely lost. "If you have nothing else to say, just go home already," said Hiruma as the last of his temper disappeared with those words. He watched as Mamori opened her mouth, desperate to have her say... but no words came, only a sigh as she grabbed her things and left the clubhouse.

Mamori was right. What she did didn't warrant such a reaction from him. But his situation with his 'extracurricular' job was getting bad, and it was getting to him. He couldn't tell Mamori anything about it just yet... but he had an annoyingly nagging bad feeling that she was in danger. And making sure the gap between them stayed wide was the best option for now.

As he tried to concentrate once again on the screen before him, he could hear Mamori's light sniffling outside. She was crying, and Hiruma quickly got up to check on her to see if she was in a worst state than he'd thought.

As he looked out of the window, he saw Mamori trying to suppress her sobs while Yamato stood before her with his hand on her shoulder and she quickly wiped her tears away and tried to smile at the boy before her. Yamato gave her a comforting smile in return, saying words that Hiruma couldn't hear, but it didn't matter. As he watched the scene, a sharp pain lanced Hiruma's heart as a thought crossed his mind.

That he may be the worst person for Mamori to be with.

oOo

Due to the nature of his "other job", Hiruma was often exposed to the darker side of society. They were always the best to approach to get that one extra bit of information that could tear a person or even a whole community down. He knew how they worked, what lengths they would go to to get their hands on what they wanted, from money to women, to rare items and even body parts. Had it not been for American Football, he was sure he would have slowly been sucked into their world based on his ability to blend in so well with them.

But there were also a number of other reasons Hiruma never even considered joining them aside from Football. And one of them was the scene that was about to unfold.

Trying to act as calm as possible as he exited the company, Hiruma made a quick sprint towards the back area where Agon stood waiting behind a pillar near another building. "Took you fucking long enough, trash," said Agon, growling in annoyance.

"Where did you see them?" Hiruma quickly asked as he pulled out one of his guns and passed it to Agon.

Cocking his head to the left side of the pillar as Agon unlocked the safety of the gun and checked the bullets, Hiruma saw them at the other end of the building, almost hidden. A group of men, possibly four of them, were dressed casually but there were obvious tattoos on the ones whose arms were exposed. Hiruma sucked in his breath. He should have known the main company would go all out, but to actually go that far as to hire yakuzas?

"Looks like you finally pushed them to their fucking limit," Agon sneered. "Either that, or they find trash like you such a threat that only yakuzas can handle you."

"Kekeke, I seem to be blessed with people who always go all out when I'm involved," Hiruma replied as he pulled out his own guns too. "That's fucking fine with me, since it makes things more interesting."

"Go on suicide missions if you want, Fucking Trash, but if you include me the price will be much, much higher," Agon drawled, raising his eyebrows while Hiruma loaded his gun with actual bullets instead of his usual rubber ones. Hiruma didn't say anything, but felt one of his phones vibrate in his pocket once more. He didn't even glance at the screen to see who was calling. He knew only one person would contact him at this time on that specific number.

"Very impressive work you've done, Hiruma."

The stiff, familiar voice made Hiruma grin. "A direct call from the Chairman! I'm honoured! I must've left quite an impression if you even sent some of your fucking bulldogs to come fetch me."

"I see you've met them," the Chairman's voice was crisp, certain to not waste his time. "I needed to make sure you know how serious this situation is. Let me cut to the chase then, seeing as I want this settled as soon as possible. You've done quite a lot of damage to the company, I can't deny, so you will have to pay for that. No matter, we can settle this quickly seeing as there's still time and your payment would be minimal if you act fast."

"Oh," Hiruma drawled. "Do tell... I'd like to hear what other forms of blackmail you have ready for me this round."

In the short silence Hiruma idly predicted a number of threats which included ordering the yakuza to beat him up and cripple him permanently, or maybe remove all his chances of ever getting a visa to go to the US. The Chairman definitely had enough information to do so...

"Anezaki Mamori is in the city cafe. I've sent a few of my men to bring her in... I cannot ensure they won't harm her though, seeing as she's quite a feisty one according to the information we gathered..."

Fuck. Hiruma's expression changed so drastically that Agon who was watching him in between keeping an eye on the yakuza opened his mouth to ask Hiruma what the fuck was going on. But stopped with a frown when Hiruma, doing his best to stay calm, raised a finger to his lips and motioned Agon to come closer. There was no way he could cut this call with the Chairman, he still needed to gather more information from him. But he had to instruct Agon on what to do...

"Aren't you a little too fucking obsessed with Anezaki?" Hiruma continued to talk, keeping his tone nonchalant, as he pulled out a pen from his pocket then grabbed Agon's wrist so his palm faced towards him. "You have a lot of other ways to get back at me, what makes you think the manager of my football team would break me that much?"

As the chairman gave his answer, Hiruma quickly wrote a few numbers down on Agon's palm. There was no time for lengthy instructions. Using the tactics he'd forced the Saikyoudai Wizards to memorise, Hiruma instructed Agon to fight solo with the yakuzas here. He was certain Agon could handle these assholes on his own, but it was the issue of what Hiruma would be doing after this that Agon might not approve of. Agon was already glaring in anger at Hiruma for having the balls to write on his palm, but as he continued to read the numbers written, he knew this wasn't the time to beat Hiruma up for shit like this.

"Don't think we're a fool, Hiruma," the chairman said, sounding very disinterested. "You've done your research on us, and we've done our research on you. No matter what we throw at you, we know you'll squirm yourself out of it since you've made up your mind to leave us. Hell, even when we gave you the opportunity of a lifetime you still defied us! So we know your tricks very well, but that means we had to find your biggest weakness, the one leash you can't wriggle out of."

_73... Quarterback to attack solo from a distance... 41... Quarterback at high risk of getting blitzed and badly injured..._ this would usually be paired up with a need to increase on defense, but there obviously wasn't one around. Agon didn't need to read anymore. "Fucking trash," Agon muttered in a low voice as he pulled his hand away. "You better know what you're fucking doing."

Hiruma gave a quick grin at Agon, a pathetic form of assurance, before continuing his conversation with the Chairman. "Well, if hurting people is what you enjoy doing the most, you can beat up any of my team members and I may just yield. After all I need all my players to be able to fucking play..."

"At this point, you've already left the Saikyoudai Wizards, I'm sure you'll show no concern for them. But Anezaki... she has followed you from high school until now. You've kept her by your side for quite a while. We've received accounts from others on how you treasure her, keeping her close even for private matters, to the point that we were sure it wasn't just because she was useful. Based on this, we felt certain that you would do anything to ensure her safety… and future."

"Sounds like a lot of fucking assumptions right there," said Hiruma as he nodded at Agon signaling he was about to go. Agon was taking none of it.

"You're going to fuck things up, I just know it," said Agon. "And there's no way I'm fighting these guys just because you can't fucking handle them yourself..."

Hiruma had no time for this. The city cafe was quite a distance from here, but there were short cuts and if he ran, he might make it before they even reached Anezaki in twenty minutes. He was pretty sure he had enough stamina to make such a run. Turning back to grip Agon's shoulder, Hiruma glared at Agon almost pleadingly to at least fucking trust him just for this moment. Agon would normally shrug this off and leave Hiruma in the dirt. He knew he'd promised to help, but there was no way he was going to put himself in danger just because the damn trash had somewhere to go. There was just no reason to stay and help...

But after playing a number of games with him, with the rest of the wizards, Agon had been taught the importance of trust, something Hiruma never openly showed but continued to give to everyone, even to Agon. And ultimately, Agon knew he needed that trust if he wanted at least a chance to play in the NFL through Hiruma. "Fine," Agon snorted and cocked the gun in his hand. "You really can't fucking work without me. I expect you to get me a slot in the NFL, Fucking Trash, and you damn well owe me."

Grinning, Hiruma prepared to run, carefully looking out to see if the yakuza was watching them. But Agon wasted no time. He left the safety of the pillar and faced the yakuzas, who were now rushing at him with their own guns and metal rods.

"That's right," Agon grinned. "Come at me, fuckers."

Hiruma didn't bother to wait and see what happened next. He began to run as the sound of gunshots echoed behind him. He could hear the Chairman's sharp intake of breath, alarm at the noise in the background. "What the hell? You're actually fighting back now?"

Trying to keep his voice as calm as possible as he ran as fast as he could down an alleyway, Hiruma replied, "Might as well give your fucking bulldogs something to do in the meantime after all... or would you rather I do as you say now that you seem to have gotten my so-called important person involved?"

He could tell the Chairman was enjoying the fact that Hiruma was now willing to comply, considering the dangerous situation Hiruma was in. "Not all the information has been released. There's still time to control it. What I really need now is the support of all these small companies you've turned against us. Get Agon if you need to. I need them to take back what they said, whatever the cost, and continue to work under us."

"Whatever the cost?" said Hiruma, struggling to control his heavy breathing from all the running. He ran through the back of a number of shop lots. "Ah, you mean the usual routine..."

"Good to see you still know the deal..." said the chairman, though his voice sounded concerned now. "... It's suddenly gone quiet."

"You noticed?" Hiruma cackled. "What do you think happened, Chairman?"

"You sound funny too... where are you going?"

Just another fifteen more minutes... "Oh, I'm just running away from your fucking bulldogs," Hiruma lied, though at least now he could breathe a little heavier without suspicion. "They're pretty persistent... you hired some pretty good ones! Maybe you should have gotten them to do all your dirty work instead of me."

"They're useful, but they don't have the brains. I need specific details, the kind of information only you can get because you know the inner workings of a person's mind. What is really needed to take a person down, where they might keep their secrets... that's why I still need you. If you wanted to go to America and play for the NFL, I can support you. I just need your intellect to gather more information about American companies, then I can expand this business over there and you can have the time of your life doing what you love! It's a win-win situation and frankly, I do not understand why you still insist on leaving."

Ten more minutes. Hiruma was running down the road now, just by the side of traffic. He would jump on to the edge of the road whenever the pedestrians blocked his way, causing cars to honk as a warning for his recklessness. Hiruma quickly spoke up to at least distract the Chairman from suspecting anything, though he was obviously breathless at moments. "If you did your research on me, you'd know I fucking detest your company… I only worked with you to gather blackmail information for my football team." Hiruma took a deep breath. "I gave you that information cause I could benefit from your support as well. Then you fucking used that information to take down and cheat those other companies so that your own would grow. To make things worse, you had to use one of my teammates to get the job done too, you fucking bastard."

"I don't see what the problem is, seeing as Agon was keen to get my support too. You both work for a number of companies for your own benefit, I just win because I give the best offer no one can refuse. And do you know why? Because of information and money. It's amazing what you can do when you know everything about someone! Their strengths, their weaknesses, their dreams and desires... everyone will bow down to you once you manipulate it all. Isn't that what you do, Hiruma? Don't you have slaves willing to come to your beckoning because of that book of yours? How different are you from what we are doing? It surprises me that you aren't one of us already."

He was almost there... he could see the building that was close to the city cafe in the distance. As he kept running, he scanned the road before him, looking out for where the yakuzas could be. He grinned when he saw a similar black car that was used by the earlier yakuzas was by the side of the road, with two men still sitting inside, obviously waiting for further instructions. He needed to distract them out of the car... but for now... "You're right. I manipulate and blackmail people because I know that having information is power. That it's the only way to get things done. But let me point out the biggest difference between me and you... and why I'll never even consider joining fucking bastards like you..."

He reached behind the car and had his gun out openly after some passersby's walked away, alerting the yakuzas of his presence as they looked in the rearview mirror. It was a one off chance, he knew this could lead to even more trouble, injury and even possible death. But there was no time, he had to get them away from the cafe. "I don't like winners who cheat their way to the top, and what you do is far from entertaining for me."

The yakuzas saw him. And emerged from the car with their guns out and ready.

oOo

Mamori's eyes widened at Yamato's question. Despite how sincere Yamato was, something about his question felt off. "What do you mean what am I going to do now?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" said Yamato. "You've always been with him since you joined the Devil Bats. But now he's going to a place where you cannot reach, you both have dreams that keep you apart, where the other person is not in the picture... does it not bother you?"

"Why should it?" Mamori's despair at being unable to contact Hiruma was slowly turning into anger. "Just because we've both been working together for so long does not mean we have to stay in each other's lives forever. Hiruma has his own dreams, I have mine. And if it means we will both have to be apart, then that's fine with me."

"So you're all right with him going to America? Leaving you here?" Yamato pressed on, leaning forward to take a better look at Mamori.

Although she saw the genuine concern in Yamato's expression, Mamori's heart was breaking... the image of her dream, where Hiruma was right before her but she couldn't catch up, was playing over and over again in her mind. But she kept her expression to that of nonchalance as she leaned back against her chair and said, "Yes, I'll be fine here. I will always support him and his dreams to be in the NFL... but obviously, my place has to be here in Japan."

While Mamori's expression stayed strong, Yamato could see her eyes showed a different expression. He smiled a little, a smile of pity mixed with approval, as he took one last sip of his coffee. "You know your place, and this is why I admire you, Anezaki." He put the coffee away and clasped his hands before him on the table in a businesslike manner. "And for that I have a proposition for you."

Mamori recognised this stance Yamato had on. She found it strange that he was displaying it to her though. "A proposition? What kind?"

Yamato smiled widely. "The fun kind where I ask you to be my date for the pre-graduation party happening tomorrow night."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes:** I'm sorry for how long this took! It's been over a month, right? I'm sorry! Got a bit too caught up with my other fic, but now that that's almost over, this fic is back on the roll again. My mind's been pretty cloudy lately, it still is right now. XD But I wrote this on the day where I could finally push myself to write... hopefully even as I reread it now, this chapter is all right. If you find the concept strange, or vague, it could be either I didn't explain it well, or I will explain it further in the upcoming chapters. Feel free to comment and let me know if you have trouble following this fic. I'll do my best to fix things up.

Until then, enjoy Chapter 7. ^^ Much love to Elis once more for her help and support.

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><p>Yamato had bought her a canned drink from a nearby vending machine the day she cried about Hiruma. She accepted it without much resistance and allowed him to walk her to a bus stop. He offered to wait with her, though she had told him it wasn't necessary. But according to him, "You look like you could use the company."<p>

They were silent as they drank their canned drinks at the bus stop. The road was rather busy, but even then the passing cars felt like nothing more than a part of the painted scenery before them. "Are you still angry?"

She didn't expect him to break the silence. "At who?"

"Him, of course," Yamato smiled a little. "You both seem to be fighting a lot lately."

"Have we?" Mamori couldn't tell. To her, fighting with Hiruma was like an everyday occurence. It had never crossed her mind that their spats were serious, although today would be a rare occasion. It had finally broken her down after all. "I suppose we have, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. We're all just stressed up over the upcoming Rice Bowl."

Yamato nodded in understanding. "You're a very patient woman, Anezaki. For the amount of strength and determination I've seen from you, I really do believe you deserve so much more."

"Is that why you actually stood up against Hiruma today?"

He shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "I suppose that could be a reason."

The bus was coming now. Mamori stood up and threw away her now empty canned drink in a recycle bin. Then she smiled at Yamato before entering the bus. "Thank you... I really appreciate your kind words, Yamato-kun."

oOo

Mamori could never really figure out how she really felt for Yamato. Like everyone else in the Devil Bats, she initially saw him as nothing more than another team member, one which she kept under her wing of care whenever needed. But he was a strong, independent man who was capable of handling himself, much like the current Quarterback, so she knew she didn't have to watch out for him as much as the other new members of the team in Saikyoudai.

Even so, Yamato had found a way to make his presence a strong one in Mamori's life during her time at Saikyoudai, more so during her last year. She found his company strange at first, but it soon turned into a welcoming presence when studies and football became overwhelming, with his calm demeanour bringing out the mature side of her that made her see things clearly.

The people around her were quick to notice this, and soon rumours began to spread about this strange love triangle between her, Yamato and Hiruma. It brought scorn among her female classmates, who often ostracised her from group projects and discussions. It made her male classmates uncomfortable, knowing that not only did Mamori have a whole team of American Football players under her care, but two of the popular ones were after her, thus they had to be careful in her presence, or so they perceived.

She was no stranger to these rumours, but this became the reason Mamori never went for parties, social activities or any other clubs in college as she focused only on her studies and football. She only went for events where she was sure that at least the presence of her Football Club members, the old Deimon Devil Bats members and her best friends, Sara and Ako, were available, which were few and far between.

This was why it had never occurred to her to attend such an event such as a Pre-Graduation party. This was something only the popular students went to, and Mamori didn't make enough friends to warrant at least some company without scorn or hesitance. Yet here was Yamato, a guy who had previously only asked her out for cups of coffee and small talk, now asking her out on a date for something she never enjoyed. "I knew you were popular, Yamato-kun, but I can't deny I'm surprised you're even thinking of going for this," said Mamori.

Yamato shrugged, chuckling. "Well, it is true that we Wizards aren't exactly known for our wild partying ways outside the locker rooms. But you cannot deny that since we will be graduating, we might as well make the best of our time in college. And what better way to make your college life complete than to join a party?"

"But why invite me, too?"

"Come on, Anezaki, even you are aware of how you've completely isolated yourself from the rest of the college to dedicate yourself to your own dreams and the Wizards," Yamato replied, smile still intact. "You never gave yourself a chance to really experience what college life is about, especially with all the rumours hanging around you. And before you say anything about that, yes, I am aware of those rumours. As does everyone in the Wizards but we didn't mind it at all as we knew who you really are."

Mamori opened her mouth, ready to laugh off those rumours, but the heaviness in her heart kept her focused on what Yamato had just said. Hoping to at least ease her doubts a little, she asked, "Is that how you define college life, Yamato-kun? Partying?"

"There are many definitions on what constitutes college life, Anezaki," said Yamato, his tone becoming serious. "To many people, going through college life includes skipping many classes while scoring top marks. To others, it's about being popular and making a lot of friends. I am only suggesting that you attend this party with me because I can see you clearly need a break from everything that has been happening lately. The change of pace would do you good, and from what I've heard, you clearly enjoyed the last party you attended."

She blushed, remembering how she was partially drunk at that party. Did Yamato know that too? "Well, I wouldn't say I enjoyed it that much but..."

A familiar sound reached her ears, but it was so soft and so sudden that Mamori barely caught it. She gazed out of the café's window and into the darkness of the other side of the road, her eyes transfixed on a black car and a dark alleyway in the distance. But there wasn't anything to see... She quickly looked back at Yamato, gathering her thoughts back into focus. "But... I suppose you're right about me needing a change of pace. Even then, I really wouldn't think about going to a college party. You know the kind of reputation I have there."

"This is why I want you to come with me." Yamato's confidence radiated through his posture, ready to place a comforting hand over Mamori's to assure her. "I told you this before, and I'll say it again. You deserve so much more than what you have, Anezaki. You're a strong, smart, confident woman and you don't deserve to have these rumours bogging you down. From the way people perceive you, to Hiruma leaving you, you deserve none of that. So take this chance, Anezaki... Take this chance to see things beyond your comfort zone, to finally be a part of your youth, and I promise I will guide you through and keep you safe."

Yamato took this chance to stretch out his arm and hold Mamori's hand. "You deserve to live a little."

Mamori stared at Yamato's hand, fascinated by his boldness and his desire to help her. The words he said echoed in her mind, familiar, but she couldn't figure out why this was happening, what she really felt. In her desperate attempt to understand what was going on and what to do, her eyes wandered again to the window, to the black car and the dark alleyway. Her heart ached, she knew something was terribly wrong. But her mind was cloudy, none of her thoughts could align. In the end, she turned her gaze back to Yamato, and after taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and said, "I..."

oOo

The yakuzas chased Hiruma as he led them away from the public eye and down an alleyway, close to where the city café was. Hiruma couldn't check to see if Anezaki was inside, but for now, he had a problem. The alleyway he was in led to a dead end, and his time was running out.

He had one last trick up his sleeve to finally end the constant chasing and fighting and he had to make sure it goes well.

"So tell me Chairman," said Hiruma as he turned around to see the yakuzas still behind him, now walking as it was obvious Hiruma had nowhere to run. "You do realise that using yakuzas for your company would lead you into serious trouble with the law if they find out? You're obviously sharing some of your profits with them if they're willing to work with you this much..."

The two yakuzas had their guns ready now and began to shoot at Hiruma. He had no time to grab his gun as he had one last thing to do, so he avoided the bullets the best that he could as he dived into the back of a dumpster...

But felt one bullet graze through the skin on his right arm. Hiruma clenched his teeth from crying out loud, though the pain slowly ate through him.

"Are you seriously trying to blackmail me in your current state, Hiruma?" the Chairman laughed, "It sounds like they're about ready to kill you! Why don't you just give up and do as I say already? We're running out of time!"

The yakuzas were about ready to send out another round of shots as they got closer. Just a bit more... "But what if I do have one last trick up my sleeve, Chairman? After all, I can just press one button and I'll alert the police of your doing..."

The yakuzas had found him. But at that moment, Hiruma turned his phone towards them and set it on loudspeaker. The chairman's words echoed through the alleyway.

"If you even dare to tell the police about my use of yakuzas, I will bring you down to hell with me where you belong! I'll tell them that you were the one who suggested the use of yakuzas and that you introduced me to them. It would be easy, seeing as Agon is pretty much like a yakuza himself. Do you think they would believe you? Besides, I have enough money to pay their stupid leader to agree with this story, and that they are in no way working under me but under you. They are MY fucking puppets, all of them, and they will do as I say! This is something you better do now because not only will I make your life a living hell, I'll make your precious woman suffer the shame and indignity you're going through by never being able to work in Japan! I won't even let her leave this country! That's how much power I have over all of you!"

Everything was said out loud that even the yakuzas stood shocked by such a confession. Hiruma grinned. People really were easy to manipulate. Pulling the phone close to him, he spoke, "I don't think you know much about the yakuzas, Chairman. Yes, they have their own code of honour, but they don't always honour a client who's willing to piss on their leader and lie to save their own asses."

There was a long silence that was only filled with the bustling sounds of the city in the distance and the voice of one of the yakuzas who was now making a call. While he couldn't hear what was happening with the Chairman, but when he finally spoke, all his earlier pride was diminished, only to be replaced with nervousness. "... What did you do, Hiruma?"

Hiruma's right arm was stinging now, the bullet wound was a lot deeper than he thought, but he was thankful the bullet didn't penetrate through. Cleaning this up shouldn't be bad... "Kekeke, giving you your comeuppance, Fucking Bastard," Hiruma grinned as the yakuzas walked away, disinterested in Hiruma. "Next time you hire yakuzas, get the ones who don't respect their leader and fellow members."

"How did you even know what kind of yakuzas they were?"

"Their tattoos said enough about them," said Hiruma. "They had a lot of tattoos representing honour, and I am familiar with their leader. You can thank the Fucking Dreads for that. You have such a hot temper when I kept defying you, so I knew you'd crack at some point. I took a gamble, and you fell right into my trap."

The Chairman was cursing out loud now and then the phone line quickly went dead. Hiruma cackled a little more, feeling a burden on his shoulders lift. That should be enough, he calculated in his head. He wondered for a moment if they would mention his name to the police, but Hiruma could pull a few strings to ensure nothing bad would come out of it. The company would have to deal with the yakuzas for now and that would be a serious blow to the company as they would lose a lot of power needed to even apprehend Hiruma or Anezaki. And as they waste their time handling the yakuzas and the possible accusations linked to it, they would have to deal with their bad image and law suits that are bound to come from the smaller companies. Their stocks would drop, they would lose all their power, a number of people in the company could get arrested...

He had actually taken a company down.

The idea in itself felt ridiculous. Hiruma knew he was capable of the most insane things, but this one just took the cake. It had taken a long time, and the opportunity came at such a ludicrous timing that it was hard to believe, yet the fact still remained. He had actually taken a big corporation right by the tail and brought it crashing down. And by doing so...

He was finally set free.

Hiruma took a few steps forward, wondering if it was okay to see Anezaki in this state. He was hurt and bleeding, but surely he can tell her everything now. She would listen, she would understand...

The phone he was holding in his hand rang once more. Hiruma hesitated for a moment, cursing at its timing. But he wondered if something happened to the Fucking Dreads. He picked it up and instead of hearing Fucking Dreads, an obnoxious voice with an accent spoke up instead. "I probably caught you at a bad time, didn't I?"

Despite his pain and exhaustion, Hiruma grinned. "You definitely did, Fucking Big Nose. To what do I owe the honour of getting a call from you? Don't want to waste the time of a fucking player of the NFL."

Clifford was unphased by Hiruma's crude and sarcastic remark. While it has been years since he had last spoken to the blonde demon, he knew very little had changed. "I heard you refused to be a part of an NFL team that came down to Japan specifically to see you."

"Fucking right you are! Didn't think you'd call me about that fucking shit."

"Well, I want to say you did the right thing in rejecting them. That team will do almost anything for money. I highly doubt you'd be happy with them, especially since your kind of play relies heavily on a team that isn't as superficial as that."

"Come now, Fucking Big Nose," Hiruma cackled, leaning against the cold wall as he tried to ignore the pain. "I highly doubt you're calling me just to fucking congratulate me on that. Let me take a guess... You heard about the proposition I made with that Fucking Coach. And now you've come to strike a deal with me."

There was a short silence before Clifford continued. "... You were expecting my call, weren't you?"

"You were the likeliest to respond," Hiruma replied, exhaustion slowly claiming him so his mad pretense was slowly dissipating. "Even if I didn't get a fucking call from you, I would find some other way to get into America."

"You would do anything but refused to take the easy route? I knew you had a conscience, Hiruma, but this is beyond my expectations."

"Don't get fucking cheeky with me, Fucking Big Nose. It was never about the money. If I want to get into the NFL, it'd be on my fucking terms. Now tell me if I'm going to be granted that."

"Yes."

Clifford's reply was so quick, Hiruma couldn't even think of a reply. The consequences of that agreement, the weight of it, slowly settled unto his shoulders.

"Of course, you will have to fight and make your way to the top as you'll be slotted in at the very bottom of the talent pool," Clifford continued. "But I have no doubts that you'll pull yourself through just fine, knowing the kind of 'talent' you have. But it'll probably take years. You being Japanese doesn't help much, but seeing as you don't want to start any other way, I'm sure you're ready to deal with it."

"... When do I leave?"

"Next week. I know it's a short amount of time but this is the only slot I have available for you, unless you're willing to wait until the end of the year. And I highly doubt you would want to waste time any further."

"... Got it."

"Are you sure?" Clifford asked. "Didn't think you'd hesitate that much. I suppose it's cause you know you'll be leaving everything behind in Japan? Including a certain someone?"

Hiruma didn't bother to answer him. He wasn't that surprised that Clifford knew about Anezaki, but the pain and exhaustion kept him from thinking straight. For some reason, despite knowing that this was what he had been aiming for, he felt another form of pain that made his eyes wander outside of the alleyway, where a glimpse of the cafe could be seen.

"Well, I probably did catch you at a bad time," Clifford continued. "I'll email you the rest of the details in a couple of minutes. Just get your entire information ready by tomorrow to send it out. A day late and you'll lose your chance."

The phone line went dead, but Hiruma's feelings were still numb. He placed his left hand against the wall and pulled himself up. Leaving the alleyway, he looked to see if Anezaki was still inside the café, but he noticed that she was standing outside of the cafe now. Her expression looked worn and disappointed.

Then he saw someone driving down the road, stopping right in front of Anezaki to let her enter. Just as they drove off, Hiruma caught a glimpse of who the driver was.

Yamato.

The memory of how Yamato would be there for her whenever Hiruma was away or being terrible to Anezaki filled his mind... and then another reality sank into Hiruma's thoughts that rooted him to where he stood.

And the desire to meet up with Anezaki slowly began to disappear.

* * *

><p><strong>Extra Notes:<strong> I hope Hiruma taking down the company makes sense somehow. While I understand how businesses work in general, the whole yakuza thing is new to me so I admit, it's probably pretty anti-climatic. I did my best to make sure there's some form of logic even though the whole concept is ridiculous, but I welcome any criticism that can help me write this better in the future, even though the whole company/yakuza issue is done by this chapter.

Also, yes, to those who had access to the teaser I wrote for this fic before I started it, do take note I will change things quite a bit. XD Not THAT much, the setting will be the same. But what they say will change as a lot of what they say in the teaser has already been mentioned before.

And while the timing of everything in this story feels rushed, do be patient with me. I did want things to happen pretty quickly. But in retrospect, I am worried that the timeline of this story is a bit too quick. XD It sure didn't feel that way when I planned it... haha! But I'll work my way around this so do be patient with me! Thank you for your support!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes:** I'm sorry for how long this took. These past two months have been... well... pretty tough on me and I was struggling to keep my head afloat. But I'm back and am glad to be writing again! Especially for this fic which was abandoned for way too long. -_- I'll do my best not to abandon this fic again!

Writing this one was a bit tough though, cause it's kinda short, and I haven't revealed a lot of what's really going on cause I'm saving that up for the upcoming chapters. And yes, Hiruma continues to be a jerk here and I apologise for that. Everything will be cleared up soon, but for now, I present to you more conflict.

* * *

><p>Mamori stared at the passing streetlights blankly, a sigh resting on her lips. A part of her could not stop worrying about Hiruma, while the other part felt totally indifferent at this point.<p>

"Do I go straight on, Anezaki?"

Yamato's voice broke through her thoughts. She quickly surveyed moving scenery out the windows and said, "Ah, yes... Just keep going on for now."

Yamato nodded with a simple smile on his face, glancing at her before focusing on the road before him. "You've been pretty distracted since I offered to take you home."

Mamori shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I... suppose? I'm sorry Yamato-kun. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"I don't blame you, you pretty much had a long, rough day," Yamato nodded in understanding. "Yet I hope you don't mind asking but... Are you disappointed that the person you were waiting for didn't come in the end?"

She knew she shouldn't be surprised; he did wait with her after all and was vaguely aware of her situation. But regardless, she felt her face become hot. She didn't reply, worried that she'd probably say too much at this point. She wondered if she had poured her heart out a little too much to him today, even if he was a good friend and now ex team member.

So they carried on in that awkward silence for a moment. Mamori was glad that it was dark now and that Yamato probably couldn't see her expression at that moment. Mamori was tempted to reach for her phone in her purse once more, curious to see if Hiruma had at least sent her a text and that she just hadn't notice it...

"Can I change your mind about the party tomorrow night?"

"Eh?" Mamori instantly replied as she looked at Yamato. "I thought I said back at the cafe that-"

"I know you said you didn't want to go," Yamato quickly added. "You have your reasons, I understand. But I can't help but think you really need to live a little while you can. Promise me you'll think about it?"

Mamori was tired of his words at this point. She didn't want to think about anything really as she stared at her phone. But Sara and Ako's words suddenly filled Mamori's mind. Live a little, stop staying in one spot, nothing will change...

Stop waiting.

She took the advantage to check her phone, pretending to check her schedule for tomorrow, despite it being obviously so. There were no signs of a text message or even a missed call.

Mamori finally released the sigh she had been keeping in for a while. Looking out the window to stare at the passing streetlights once again, she replied, "All right. I'll think about it."

oOo

Mamori wasn't sure what had gone through her mind that night at the cafe. She was very sure she had told Yamato clearly that she had no interest in the party, regardless of the kind words he'd used to convince her to come. Yet somehow, she found herself abandoning her wait for Hiruma and hitching a ride back home with him.

She tried to recall the factors of why she opted to do this. Was the shop closing? There was still another 10 to 20 minutes, she was sure. Did she do it out of guilt for rejecting Yamato's invitation? That could be it, though it sounds silly upon further reflection.

... Was she tired of waiting?

As she sat up on her bed, contemplating what was going on, this question bothered her the most. A part of her felt certain that she could have waited a little longer... but she was also tired and so confused with the possibilities before her that she just wanted to get away. Yamato had probably taken notice of it, and offered her a ride home.

Although she had just woken up, sleep had done little to calm her thoughts. While the image was a lot less vivid, she was sure she'd dreamt of Hiruma and how he was so far away from her. But this time, instead of chasing after him, Mamori had stood still...

And watched as he disappeared before her.

Taking a deep breath, Mamori got out of bed and began her morning ritual of breakfast and then a bath, all the while planning on what to do today. Hiruma still wasn't responding to her calls and texts, and she couldn't deny that she was worried. Something must have happened to him if he hadn't bothered to contact her until now. Memories of the times she'd find him injured flashed through her mind and soon she found herself thinking of a list of places where he might be.

If he wasn't going to contact her, then she would have to go looking for him.

Taking her simple necessities of just her phone, wallet and keys, her first thought was to go to his apartment. But as she stood by the doorway, she received no response as she rang the doorbell. She rang a couple more times before discerning that he really isn't home. Her thoughts wandered as she looked at his apartment door, and remembered the time he entrusted the apartment key to her during a really busy period in college. She would often come over either to retrieve or return Hiruma's items and remembered she had once slept over upon working until five in the morning. He had allowed her to sleep on his bed again, and joked that he owed her double now. In embarrassment for how often she had slept over, she had returned the keys to him. And now a nagging part of her continually told her that she should have kept it, seeing that Hiruma had trusted her that much.

Shaking her head from such thoughts, she then went to the coffee shop where they normally bought coffee together as they walked to Saikyoudai... Memories of how they would both talk about Football strategies and upcoming games haunted her. Occasionally, one of them would crack a joke, leaving the other grinning not because it was funny... but because they allowed that small moment to reveal who they really were.

The memory caught her breath, causing her to run towards Saikyoudai's football field as she now followed the ghosts of her memories that seemed strangely distant now. The field was empty, but she remembered the team's practices, the gruelling training... the simple messages she and Hiruma would pass to each other through hand signals to remind each other that they were still there, supporting and willing to go on despite the exhaustion.

Her eyes now wandered on to the clubhouse, the place that became their second home since they enrolled in Saikyoudai. They would spend countless hours going through data and videos together, drawing out plans and strategies, or just taking a short break with Mamori cleaning it up as Hiruma surfed the web. That was where they would share glances across the room, confirming that they would see through this together until the very end...

All these memories... ever since they made that deal...

Mamori opened the door of the clubhouse and while she shouldn't be surprised, she found her heart leap a little at the sight of Hiruma with his laptop on his lap, legs propped on the table in the familiar pose she had seen for so many years. Yet something felt very different this time... Her heart was aching to the point that it became distracting and she forgot for a moment why she was there. Her eyes wandered on Hiruma's right arm and instantly noticed the bandage on it. A voice of reason soon began speaking in her head, but the words never reached her.

Instead, she swallowed and asked, "How long have you been here?"

Hiruma's eyes stayed glue on his laptop, though he lazily moved them to glance at the side of the screen. "Almost the whole night by the looks of it," he replied, his voice hoarse.

Mamori tried to swallow again, but her throat was dry. Something was wrong, very wrong... She hesitated, arms crossed as she stayed by the door. "... Even at the time when you were supposed to meet me?"

Hiruma didn't reply, keeping his face glued to the screen. It was unnatural, and unlike him to be this way. "... Did you forget that you were supposed to meet me at the City Café last night?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

She couldn't understand why he kept silent. But he soon opened his mouth and said, "I suppose I did. Got a lot of stuff to get ready for, Fucking Manager. Didn't think meeting up with you was that important."

Mamori bit her lip; her mind was lost in a sea of thoughts. "Get ready...? You mean... you really got accepted into an NFL team...?"

Hiruma finally tore his gaze away from his laptop to look at her. His grin was back in place now, his mask finally back on. "Looks like you got your own sources now, Fucking Manager! I'd ask who told you that, but that's the least of my concerns now. I have a whole bunch of documents to get ready, and I have a lot on my mind now."

"Did you hurt your arm, getting those documents?"

The tension in the air got thicker with Mamori's words. Hiruma glared at Mamori for a moment before cackling, "Why? Fucking worried now?"

_Of course I am!_ A part of her screamed. But the words refused to come out. Instead, she allowed herself to let anger take over. "Stop avoiding the question and answer me."

"It's none of your fucking business, Fucking Manager," Hiruma replied, the tone of his voice now heavy.

Mamori took a step forward. "Is your old fracture hurting you again? Did you go see a doctor on that? Let me see it..."

"I told you, it's none of your fucking business!" Hiruma growled, losing his patience way too soon. "I can handle this myself, Fucking Manager! I don't need you to start fussing over me now!"

"Don't turn this around by saying I'm fussing over you!" Mamori responded angrily, though Hiruma's outburst kept her rooted to one spot. "I have a right to worry about you! I'm the Manager of this team!"

"Have you forgotten that you are no longer a part of the Saikyoudai Wizards seeing as you'll be graduating soon? Have you turned that dumb now that lessons are over?"

Mamori opened her mouth, ready to tell him off once more, but soon the truth hit her, and another realisation dawned unto her. He was right... there's no reason for her to be concerned over him. Since they were leaving Saikyoudai, and thus the Saikyoudai Wizards as well, this would make them nothing more than just former teammates, classmates...

Is that all they were now?

Hiruma snickered at Mamori's silence, aware of what Mamori had just realised. "Do you have something to fucking say to me? Cause if you don't, then you can just go. You got a fucking party to attend, don't you?"

"What?" Mamori blurted out, before she finally remembered that the Graduation Party was tonight. "... How did you know...?"

"Kekeke, are you still asking me that question?" Hiruma continued to grin, though it never reached his eyes. "So... seeing as I missed last night's meetup, you might as well say whatever it is that you wanted to say then now if you want. I'm here now after all…"

What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do? Mamori continued to stand by the door, transfixed at the sight of the blond demon who continued to stare at her with a strange look. There were so many things she wanted to say, the words were right there, screaming... "... Are you really going to America?"

Hiruma's grin slowly faded. "Yes."

"When?"

"Next week."

The feeling Mamori experienced next could only be described as being stabbed repeatedly in the heart. The words... where were the words she had told herself to say to him? He was right there, in front of her! There's got to be something she could say that could end this pain! "... So... we'll be going our separate ways then... we'll both be working towards our own dreams... We've done our best here in Saikyoudai..."

Hiruma's expression at that moment was unreadable to her. It was nothing but a blur. "Ah, I suppose we have," he replied, his voice cold. "We've done our roles well together... and now it's time we go down our separate roads and you can do what you've always wanted to do...

And you don't have to keep waiting."

Mamori couldn't stop that one tear from falling. He knew... he knew why she wanted to see him.

Was this his answer? "... You're right. I've done my role as your manager and supported you to the best of my ability. And I'm happy that I could be of use to you until the very end!" Mamori's voice began to tremble, she couldn't control her pitch. "I hope you continue to do your best in America, Hiruma-kun! You have my support all the way here in Japan!"

Mamori wiped her tears with the back of her hand, forcing herself to smile at him as he watched on with a stoic face. She finally swallowed all her emotions, stopping her tears as she turned her back to him and said, "Take care of yourself. I have to go get ready for the party."

And with that, she closed the door to the clubhouse without waiting to hear his reply.

Mamori was walking now, not caring where to exactly. She just needed to get somewhere far, far away from all the memories. She needed to keep her mind focused, her head above all the turmoil that was filling her inside. She told herself that she knew this was a possible outcome... that this was something bound to happen... It really made sense. There was no use waiting... in fact, it was a ridiculous notion to begin with! Honestly, it was obvious that everything would be over the moment they stopped being the Quarterback and Team Manager of Saikyoudai. What made him think that she should wait for him? And what made her believe that it was worth waiting? They were so naive to think that waiting was a good option for the both of them. They should have seen this coming, the point where they would obviously part ways...

By the time Mamori realised it, the pain in her heart had doubled. Her words of "comfort" had done the exact opposite. Mamori clutched her heart and bent over for a moment, trying to breathe as the pain reached her throat. She wanted to scream, to break right at that moment...

"Anezaki-san?"

Mamori looked up to find Karin right before her, jaw dropped in surprise. "Anezaki-san! Are you all right?"

Mamori tried to say something, but she wasn't sure what to say to assure Karin that she was all right. Tears fell instead, and it was enough to snap Karin out of her state of shock. While her other arm, held on to a rather large sketchbook, she grabbed Mamori's arm with her free hand and propped her to walk towards a quieter alleyway. Mamori stared at her, unsure of what was going on.

Karin took a quick look around and then pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket. "The coast is clear, you can cry all you want."

Mamori looked at the handkerchief blankly. "I-I'm sorry... I think you've mistaken..."

"Nonsense! You're not in a good state to keep it all in. And it's best to let it out before it continues to tear you apart, Anezaki-san..." Karin put the handkerchief on Mamori's palm. "I've been there, and as someone who's pulled through, I can assure you that letting it out is the best solution for now."

Mamori wanted to protest, that she was just crying a little and that there was nothing to worry about. Everything was fine, the answer was obvious. But a sob broke through, followed by another...

And soon Anezaki Mamori found herself crying into a now wet handkerchief, muffling the screams she had kept in for so long, with only a comforting hand on her shoulder to remind her that she wasn't alone.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes:** This took a lot longer again, but I promise things will get interesting now and I'm eager to get the next three chapters done. That's right, there's only three chapters left for this fic! Well, if everything turns out well. XD But I'm pretty confident it's only three chapters left.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you for the continuous support until now! I've had a couple of comments pointing out that I have the talent to be an author. Thank you so much! To be honest, I still feel like I have a long way to go. But I cannot deny that I have a passion for writing, and I can only hope that someday I finally learn enough to write a great story. But for now, I love writing for HiruMamo and for this small fandom. Thank you for enjoying my meager writing.

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><p>It was when the Saikyoudai Wizards were training that Mamori found out about a letter Hiruma had received. She found it underneath a bunch of scribbled formations while doing a quick clean up. Soon, Hiruma came barging in, AK-47 resting on his shoulders and he glared at the letter in her hand.<p>

"You really are a nosey one, Fucking Manager."

Mamori began to put the letter away, looking rather guilty. "I'm sorry, I was cleaning the desk and..."

"Just keep it to yourself," Hiruma cut in as he came forward and took the letter. He stared at it for a moment and then stuffed it in his pocket.

He was about to leave the clubhouse again, when he heard her say, "You should call him."

He didn't bother to reply.

oOo

_What was he expecting, really?_

While many thoughts coursed through Hiruma's mind, this question bothered him the most. He hadn't moved an inch since Anezaki left the clubhouse. His fingers still rested on his keyboard, his eyes glazed over as he stared at the screen. How long had he been like this? It felt like just a second ago that Anezaki was right before him... how long ago did she leave?

He took a shaky breath, willing himself to finish the email he had been writing, or at least close his laptop and get up, but struggled to even do so. What was wrong? He had known this outcome was possible, he knew that he deserved such a treatment from Anezaki. Heck, it had turned out a lot better than he'd expected.

So what else was he expecting?

No, he was thinking about this the wrong way. He was pretty sure he'd anticipated all of Anezaki's reactions. Her hurt, her inability to speak up, her leaving things be. He had expected all that as the best outcome. What he didn't expect was this sudden feeling of loss. He became aware of the widened gap that took years for her to overcome, rebuilt the wall that she had long brought down through time...

And he knew she would never do it again.

"There you are."

Hiruma looked up to find Musashi by the doorway, a folder in his left hand. "You look like shit," said Hiruma, fingers finally moving across the keyboard again, tapping away.

"I should say the same to you," Musashi replied, raising his eyebrow. "Looks like you didn't get any sleep. And you injured yourself again?"

Hiruma narrowed his eyes, to ignore all of Musashi's comments. He stopped typing and reached out his left hand to grab the folder. "Just give me the fucking documents and I'll be on my way."

"Not so fast," Musashi moved the documents away, taking a seat across the table at a safe distance from him. "I saw Anezaki on the way here. I called out to her, but she didn't even hear me. Since she came from this direction, I knew you must have done something to her."

"Great deduction skills, Fucking Sherlock," Hiruma casually replied. "But what happened to her is none of your fucking concern. So just give me those damn documents and—"

"I drove across a prefecture to see your father to get these from him," said Musashi, his steady eyes glaring straight at Hiruma. "Seeing as you refused to even face him, you owe me this much, Hiruma. I demand to know what you are doing to the people around you."

Hiruma held back a frustrated sigh, his eyes glancing away from the screen. Musashi's demand annoyed him because Hiruma was certain he wouldn't understand a fucking thing. Besides, Hiruma had made up his mind. But then he realised that Musashi had a point... what was he doing to those around him? Especially those who cared about him in some way?

Was the outcome worth it?

"Keh, I could pull out my black book and force you to give me those documents."

"I'll burn these documents, so you'll have to get them again from your father... face to face."

Hiruma couldn't help but crack a grin. Despite having played as teammates and then rivals during their college years, it was good to see Musashi still knew him well. "I don't see how my problems are worth your fucking time."

"I hold no grudges over my team's loss in your hands last year. And no matter how things may have changed, you were one of the few people in this world who believed in me, even when I had given up on myself."

"Fucking sentimental, aren't we?"

"No, I'm trying to save a friend before he ruins his life further."

Hiruma cackled, and met Musashi's intense gaze. "What makes you think I need saving? I'm about to leave for America, Fucking Old Man. I'm taking a chance to get into the NFL on my own fucking terms. I'm going to fight my way into an actual NFL team, the way I always do and it's brought me this far. In what way am I ruining my life?"

"Aren't you going to ask me how your father is, Hiruma?" Musashi stared back, dismissing Hiruma's question.

Hiruma frowned in reply, studying Musashi's expression, aware that his old friend's years in hard labor and football had not reduced his cunning. "I keep him on tab, so I know he's fine. He got into a minor accident and broke his leg, but he's recovering well."

"And yet you never took the time to go and visit him?"

"Why should I? He can survive on his own. He doesn't need me."

"There. Right there," Musashi pointed the rolled up file at Hiruma accusingly. "This is how you're ruining your life."

"Explain."

Musashi stared back at him for a moment. Then he replied, "By forgetting what is important to you."

"Speak up, Fucking Old Man. Because I'm pretty aware of what's important to me right now."

"Winning? Being in the NFL?" Musashi leaned forward. "Sure, those have always been the goals you've worked towards. But you seem to have forgotten something even more important. Something that actually means a lot to you, just as much as winning. Has being a part of the Saikyoudai Wizards made you forget that? Did the thousands of members make you blind? Have the dreams of being a part of America made you this stupid?"

"Oh, you think I'm stupid now?" Hiruma drawled, a tinge of anger reverberated in his voice. "Instead of beating around the bush and throwing all these insults at me, why don't you say it straight to my face?"

"You want the truth? Then hear this. You've always been a person who keeps the people who are useful close to you. But they're not just useful, they mean something to you. Even though we were rivals, at least we were still friends, comrades, fighting for what we believe in. But lately, it's beginning to look like you're throwing away the important things in your life that have brought you this far because they cannot support you any longer. You're throwing away your family, your teammates, and your friends, all for the sake of this dream! You want to know what I think? I think you're a coward!"

Hiruma put his laptop away and stood up, rage boiling within him. A rage he was trying to control, though he was exhausted and had a hard time doing so. He was tired. Tired of facing something he knew the answer to. Tired of being doubted. "Sure, think that fucking way," he said, voice calm though his tone said otherwise. "Cause that's how it's going to fucking look like, right? Here I am, taking only myself to America to try and get into the NFL. Leaving everything behind for the sake of my own happiness. Is that what you think of me now? Good. Let everyone think that way. Then maybe if they're fucking angry enough, they can come after me when I'm there and see if their asses can get into the NFL too."

There was a short silence as Musashi allowed his words to sink in for a moment, before his eyes widened with shock. "That's your plan?"

"What?"

"You're going to America the hard way... so that others can do the same?"

"Don't know what the fuck you just said."

"Hiruma, you stupid bastard!" Musashi also stood up, looking about ready to beat him up. "Why can't you be more honest with yourself? Did you have to make this the reason to push Anezaki away?"

"Why the fuck are you getting her involved?"

"Because that's what you did to your father, didn't you?" Musashi's voice softened from the anger he once had as Hiruma's expression changed. "The moment you knew he couldn't support you, that he was in the way and couldn't be there for you for your dreams, you just left him. And now you're doing the same to Anezaki. My question is, is it really for her good? Or is it yours?"

Hiruma glared at Musashi for a moment, finding this accusation almost ridiculous. "You're comparing my father to Anezaki Mamori, Fucking Old Man. That was the biggest mistake to make if you're trying to make me see things differently. Because while my father was a coward who didn't even have the balls to achieve what he could have had, Anezaki Mamori would never back down. She's always been a fighter, and she would never..."

_She would never do it again._

The image of Anezaki smiling despite her tears and then leaving the clubhouse flashed through his mind. And then the image of his father, smiling as well when he announced that he was going to live on his own during middle school surfaced. That was when it hit him, the real depth of his loss. And that he had approached this whole thing wrongly.

Damn it, why must handling emotions be so fucking complicated?

Still, he cackled despite his situation. Musashi wondered if something had snapped within the demon, but Hiruma grinned at him. "Fucking Old Man, remind me to never let you see my father again."

Hiruma began to walk towards the door. "Where are you going?" Musashi called after him. "What about the documents?"

Hiruma waved his left hand nonchalantly. "I can handle that later. I have a fucking party to attend."

oOo

"Here."

Sniffling a little bit, Mamori smiled as she accepted the hot can of coffee Karin had passed to her. Karin proceeded to sit next to her on the park bench, a canned drink in hand too. They sat in silence for a minute, sipping on their drinks as people walked past, rushing towards their own destination.

"I'm sorry about just now," Mamori meekly spoke up, looking at Karin. "I don't know what came over me."

"Oh, don't worry about it at all!" Karin waved her hands assuringly. "There was no way I could leave you behind in that state. I was pretty worried that you could even hurt yourself."

"I'm fine now, so it's all right..." Mamori couldn't help but smile apologetically, before continuing to sip on her coffee.

Karin was quiet for a moment, contemplating over what to do before she finally said, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Mamori glanced at Karin and saw the earnest look in her eyes. Sighing softly, Mamori cupped her can of coffee with her hands and let them rested them on her lap. "Hey, Koizumi-san..."

"Just Karin is fine," smiled Karin.

"Karin..." Mamori smiled in return. "... You gave up on Football, right? W-well, giving up might be a rough word but... You knew it wasn't for you and you decided to move on and do what you really love, which was art."

Karin shrugged a little. "I suppose you could say that."

"How did you know you had to give it up?"

Karin was looking at Mamori curiously now. "Anezaki-san?"

Mamori looked away nervously, her thumb rubbing the lip of her can. "I've been told to give up on something... it's something that I knew I should have given up a long time ago, but I didn't, because I was hopeful that everything will be okay. The thing is... I want to accept that this is how it should be. I want to give up and move on... but I'm not sure how."

Smiling understandingly, Karin leaned back on the bench, thinking for a moment. "Anezaki-san..."

"Ah, Mamori is fine!"

Karin giggled. "Mamori... it's true that I gave up on playing Football. While I had the talent for it, I knew it wasn't for me. I had a much bigger love, one that wouldn't go away even though I found so much excitement and joy on the Football field, and that was the love of creating art. Many people, especially my teammates from Teikoku, didn't like the idea of me leaving Football. I told them I still love Football, but I just couldn't tear myself away from something I really enjoy doing. There was so much expectation from me being one of the few female players in Japan, but I just couldn't meet them... because I knew where my heart really belonged. So tell me, Mamori..."

Karin smiled widely as she asked, "Where does your heart belong?"

Mamori blinked, surprised by the question. "My... heart?" she repeated hesitantly.

"That's right. The thing is... it's easy to think I gave up on American Football, because many people knew me as the female Quarterback of Teikoku Alexanders. But before that, I was into art and I gave up on that because of what the team expected from me. But in all honesty, I couldn't give it up at all... my heart was still so much into it. No matter how many times people told me not to pursue it, I found myself wanting to do it even more…"

Mamori nodded in understanding. "It must have been tough…"

"It was… but when your heart insists on something, it's really hard to tell yourself to give up. You could try to distract it for a while, you could spend years trying to run away from what you truly want. But your heart will probably stay in that one spot, waiting until you're finally where you belong."

She recalled Unsui saying something similar along those lines. _My heart will be right here, waiting patiently…_

Ah, that makes sense now. Why she couldn't think, why she felt so lost, why she couldn't say the words she really wanted to say. _I'm such an idiot…_

"It can get pretty tough, as people may still give you trouble over your decision," Karin continued. "But maybe you can find something to create some form of equal ground? Like for me, seeing as I love both art and football, I've actually started working on a manga about American Football."

"Oh!" Mamori gasped. "That sounds exciting!"

"It is! And I've never been happier!" Karin gushed. "I'm currently working under another manga artist, he's teaching me everything I need to know about drawing a manga, especially one that is pretty action based like American Football. Unsui has seen some of my drafts and he really loves it! He's been helping me on a lot of the Football aspects, and he lets me come for the Enma Fires training so I can study the formations and especially Kobayakawa Sena, his story is so fascinating and—"

Karin gasped, covering her mouth with her palm. She quickly got off the bench and bowed profusely to Mamori. "I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I rambled off when I was supposed to be helping you!"

Mamori set her coffee aside and got up to hold Karin's arms to stop her from bowing. "No, it's all right! Don't apologize, it's fine!" she laughed, feeling her heart getting lighter in the process. This was it, the answer she was looking for. There were still so many uncertainties, and things may not turn out as planned. But... "Seeing you that happy is relieving, because it shows you definitely made the right choice."

"Eheheh..." Karin laughed nervously, but took this chance to give Mamori a quick hug. She pulled away and said, "I don't know what it is you're going through, Mamori, but from what I hear about you from Kobayakawa-san, I know you're a strong and smart woman. You'll be fine, I know you'll make the right decision."

Mamori shrugged, still smiling. "If that's the case, then I need your help. I have to attend a party tonight, but I need to stop by one place before I go there."

"Oh, sure! Where's that?"

"A Cyber Cafe. I need your help to use the computer."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes: **Looks like it takes me, what, 2 months to get a chapter out? I'm so sorry for that. Got a promotion at work so there's loads on my plate recently. Even went off to Sydney for a short holiday, but at least it gave me back my love for writing again!

Anyways, I know I said there would be 3 chapters left. And as usual, I CANNOT BE TRUSTED. The next two chapters I'm about to post up was initially one chapter in my mind. But as I wrote it, I realised that it would be better split up for a certain reason. I wonder if any of you will notice that reason. XD At least the next two chapters are about 6k words, so it's LONG! Which will make up for the time I didn't post anything recently. Enjoy!

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><p>"Is it really all right for me to borrow your dress, Karin?" Mamori's voice echoed from Karin's room.<p>

"It's fine! I'm just sorry it's an old dress of mine," Karin smiled as she tapped away on her computer. "Does it fit all right?"

Karin heard soft footsteps behind her. She turned around to see Mamori dressed in a simple sleeveless dark pink dress that stretched well across her curves. The dress ended just above her knees, showing off her toned legs.

Gasping, Karin stood up from her desk and clapped her hands excitedly. "You look beautiful! I'm so glad that dress fits you so well! I was a little worried about the chest area, but the fabrics stretchy so I had a good guess it would work for you. And you look good in pink! I'll work on your makeup next, those puffy eyes just won't do."

"That can wait," Mamori replied nervously, her eyes straying towards the computer screen. "Did you find anything?"

Karin nodded. "You don't have that many options, but I have a few laid out for you. Can you click on the different tabs yourself or..."

"Oh! It's fine!" Mamori blushed a little. "I can do that well enough. I'm sorry for all the trouble. Mind if I go through them?"

"Go right ahead."

Mamori nodded as she sat at Karin's desk, taking the mouse in her right hand and slowly moving it around. It had been Karin's idea for Mamori to come over to help her with whatever she needed to do with the computer, and seeing as the girl didn't have much time to go home and get ready for the party, Karin took it upon herself to help her with getting ready for the party too. Mamori wasn't keen, but the former Quarterback insisted as she was still worried about Mamori's condition. Karin watched her for a moment as Mamori read the information before her, but after some thought, she decided to ask the former Saikyoudai Wizard's Manager something that had been bothering her for a while. "Are you sure you still want to go out with Yamato?"

Mamori didn't reply for a moment, her eyes still staring at the screen before her. But Karin caught the slight change of expression, and she could tell Mamori was slowly exhausting herself from this entire ordeal. "I'll go... I made a promise with him after all, and it wouldn't be right for me to back down now. Besides, I think it's important that I speak to him."

"But have you planned out what you want to say? Aren't you rushing this? You could talk to him another time. I'm sure he doesn't mind."

The lack of response in her face made Karin even more worried, but Mamori soon tore her eyes away from the computer and looked straight at her. Despite how weary Mamori looked, her words seemed determined. "You're right... I could talk to him another time. But I don't think the feelings I have now will be the same then. I may not know what I intend to say to him but I'm sure..."

Karin waited for Mamori to finish her sentence, but soon realised the girl was distracted as she gazed at the screen once more. Sighing, Karin placed a hand on Mamori's shoulder to get her attention. Once those blue eyes were on hers, she smiled and said, "Then you better get ready."

oOo

The graduation party was being held in a restaurant owned by one of the student's parents. It was meant to be nothing more than a simple dinner and dance for everyone to enjoy the night with everyone else's company, before they finally made their way out into the world.

Or so Mamori was told.

As she stood in front of the "restaurant" where the graduation party was being held, Mamori knew whoever organised this didn't mean what they said. Situated in between a row of entertainment centres, the place looked like a club, dark with neon lights barely shining through. Club music resonated even from outside, with the sounds of young adults shouting and cheering as they urged their peers to drink.

Mamori was hesitant to enter. Were parties always this rowdy? She tried to recall the last party she joined. There was Sara's birthday party, but that had been held in her house and while there had been drinking, it wasn't as crowded as this.

Did that time on the ship after Deimon defeated Hakushuu count? She was pretty dressed up at that time, and the boys were probably more rowdy than this. The memory made her smile for a moment, as she recalled their hilarious antics and infectious laughter. Hiruma didn't stay around for long due to his broken arm at that time...

Then she remembered Hiruma had injured himself today. She didn't realise this when she was standing before him, but she recalled the way he bandaged his right arm. Looking back, that bandage wasn't for his old arm injury as she had initially thought. No, this was a new injury. He was probably bleeding. From a cut? Was it bruised? Did he apply antiseptic on it?

_He'll be fine_, she finally told herself as she took a deep breath. _He doesn't need you, he can obviously take care of himself. For now..._

A few girls walked past Mamori. She recognized them as fellow classmates; the ones who she knew had been spreading gossip about her, especially about her relationship with Hiruma and Yamato. The girls noted Mamori's presence, standing on her own cluelessly, and they whispered among each other as they joined the party.

Mamori's breath hitched. Doubt spread across her mind. Maybe she should call Yamato and tell her to meet her somewhere else? This party just doesn't seem like the best place to...

"There you are!"

Mamori blinked, chasing her thoughts away as Yamato approached her, walking from the party. He passed by the girls, who were now eyeing him and Mamori curiously before entering the building. Mamori could imagine their tongues wagging in excitement over this piece of gossip. She let out a short sigh before smiling at Yamato.

"What are you doing, standing there on your own?" Yamato laughed as he stood before her. He was wearing a suit, with a dark blue shirt, the collar open around his neck. She could smell his cologne even from where she stood.

"Oh, I just arrived," Mamori replied. "It's no big deal, I was just about to go in."

"Don't be silly, I saw you standing here for the past five minutes now from the first floor," Yamato pointed towards the top of the building, where she could barely see the silhoutte of a bar with people around it. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

Mamori took another deep breath, doing her best to clear her mind. "I'm all right. I just need to talk to you but..."

"You look exhausted," Yamato moved to her side and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Come on in, I'll get you a place to sit."

"W-wait," Mamori placed a hand on Yamato's side, hesitating. "I don't think we should go in like this..."

"I told you I would protect you, Anezaki," Yamato assured her, his voice was low yet commanding. "Trust me on this."

Mamori contemplated this for a moment. Arguing would only delay things further, and at this point it was impossible to avoid all the gossip. "Think we can go somewhere a little quiet? I'm not too fond of the crowd."

"Your wish is my command." Yamato smiled as he ushered her in.

It took a while for Mamori to get used to the obnoxious dance music. The place felt set up like a hosting club, with a number of couches spread around the inner area with a table for drinks and food before each one. A few people were already dancing within the available open space, the crowd slowly growing as more people drank to their hearts content. A number of eyes were on her and Yamato, but Mamori ignored them all, too tired to care at this point.

Before Yamato brought her upstairs, Mamori caught sight of someone familiar, sitting on one of the couches, his arms draped around a few girls who sat giggling and whispering to each other beside him. "Agon!" she gasped.

She didn't think he would hear her over the loud music, but along with his God-speed impulse, he seemed to have God-like hearing. As she walked upstairs with Yamato's arm still protectively wrapped around her shoulders, Agon looked at her with a grin forming on his face. Mamori noted he had a few bruises across his visage, sending her mind reeling on the possibilities of how he got them... as well as whether Hiruma was involved. But she turned her face away from Agon, willing herself to look forward instead.

Now isn't the time to worry about that.

The upstairs area was a lot cosier, with smaller tables for two to three people. Yamato pulled out a chair from one of them and invited Mamori to sit down. "Let me get you a drink."

Mamori tried to call him back, but Yamato had already gone towards the bar. She looked around her for a moment, where a couple of familiar faces from college looked at her curiously. Feeling out of place, Mamori looked down towards the white table before her.

"Well, look who's here..." the familiar drawl forced Mamori to look up.

"Agon!" Mamori exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh no," said Agon, taking the seat next to Mamori without her permission. "I think the better question here is what are you doing here, Manager Anezaki?"

Mamori pressed her lips together. "Yamato-kun invited me here. Are the rest of the Wizards here, too?"

"A couple of them are around," Agon shrugged. "I think they'd be pretty excited to see you here. But I'm sure they'd be even more excited to see you here with the Wizard Running Back instead of the Quarterback. Where is he by the way? That fucker owes me something."

"You should know him by now, Agon," said Mamori, letting out a small sigh. "In fact, I think you probably know him better than I do."

Agon raised an eyebrow at her. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Are you two fighting again? If you are, I don't want to be part of this shit."

"Wait." Mamori looked at the bruises on Agon's face carefully. "The both of you got involved in something the night before, didn't you? Those bruises look new."

"Like hell I'd tell you."

"Then don't. Just tell me if he was with you."

For a moment, Mamori thought he was just going to get up and go. Agon shifted in his seat, and then leaned in a little too close for comfort. "A little word of advice for you, Manager Anezaki. Choose him, and you continue to live a life beyond your comfort zone. Possibly even worse than before. You're probably better off not getting involved."

Mamori stared at Agon, surprised that Agon would even offer advice to her, let alone something that didn't end in a threat. She noted the word 'probably' in his last sentence, and smiled as she said, "You're right."

"Oh, come now, Agon, stop stealing my dates," Yamato laughed as he walked towards them, placing two drinks on the table. One was a small glass with what looked like clear water, but Mamori knew better. The other was a taller glass, with a more colourful concoction.

"Then learn not to leave them alone, Fucking Trash, you know with my talent I can get them in bed within seconds" Agon sneered, though he seemed rather amused. "Which reminds me, I have my own dates to be with. As much as I like you, Manager Anezaki, you were never worth the trouble."

Mamori couldn't help but giggle as Agon got up and left. Yamato now sat before her, pushing the colourful concoction before her. "Giving me alcohol, Yamato-kun?"

"Just something to calm your nerves," Yamato smiled. "It's sweet, and the alcohol content isn't high, so it should do."

Mamori stared at the drink for a moment, her senses telling her that this would be a bad idea. But she had come this far, and she needed to get this done and over with. Taking the glass in her hand, she took a sip, then looked at Yamato and said, "About what you told me last night at the cafe..."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes:** And here's the next chapter. Will talk more at the end. For now, enjoy!

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><p>"... Are you sure this is what you want?"<p>

Mamori nodded, sipping on her second cocktail of the night. It was only as she finished half of it did she realise why she had been hesitant to accept it in the first place.

She had not eaten at all that night. She was bound to get drunk, even with what little alcohol content this drink had.

"Is there nothing else I can say that can make you change your mind?"

Yamato was looking at her almost pleadingly. She felt sorry for him. Maybe she had been too harsh on him? But he needed to know the truth. "You've tried your best tonight, Yamato-kun. But I think you and I know I can be pretty stubborn once I've made up my mind. Sena had to endure that for years after all."

"But you changed your mind once you saw the truth," said Yamato. "Surely you can see the truth yourself now. What you're doing is too rash and uncertain."

"I know..." Mamori took another long sip from her drink, willing herself to down the lightly bubbly liquid faster so she could go home already. "Still... I would rather give this a try than to carry on down this path, constantly wondering what could have been."

Yamato sighed, taking a sip from his own drink before putting it back down to look at Mamori seriously. "Normally I would call people like you foolish. But the more I think about it, and knowing the way you are... I suppose I cannot stop you. This is for the best."

As Mamori finished the last of her drink, feeling a little dizzy over how fast she'd drunk it, she gave Yamato a short smile and nodded. "Thank you for understanding."

oOo

Hiruma always believed that drinking was reserved only for those who intended to get wasted. Sure, in Japan it was part of culture, a socially acceptable way of breaking the ice with others. But in the end, alcohol is nothing more than a hard, bitter drink that clouds your mind and makes you forget everything, including your sanity. So like everything else that he had found to be a hindrance, alcohol was high on his list of useless things.

So why was he craving one the moment he reached the fucking party? Was it the amount of people acting like idiots, dancing and rubbing against each other?

Maybe it was their idiocy he wanted to forget.

A few people screamed at the sight of him as he entered the place, a feat he was proud to still be able to accomplish until today. At least that way, most of those who were a nuisance to him were gone. But a number of them were too drunk, or too curious, to really want to run away. Many eyes stayed transfixed on him as he walked through the hallway, wondering why he would be here.

Hiruma looked around the place, unable to find Mamori anywhere. Did she even attend the party at all? Yamato was missing too. He glanced around some more before seeing someone descend from a flight of stairs in the inner part of the building, there were also people lounging about on the stairs. Thinking that she might be in the next floor, he heads towards the stairs...

Until he felt a palm fall on his shoulder, dragging him back. He recognised the strength. "Well, look who the cat dragged in."

Hiruma sighed in annoyance for a moment, before grinning back at Agon. "Should've known you'd be here, Fucking Dreads."

"You mean you didn't come here looking for me? I'm offended!" Agon continued to sneer back at Hiruma, now dragging the blonde demon to the couch he was at. "We haven't exactly finished off what we were talking about the last time we met. Better get that done now before you send your ass off far away from here."

"Heard about that already, huh?" While it was a pain in the ass to face Agon now, Hiruma decided that it was best to get this out of the way too. He sat on the couch as Agon whispered to the girls to leave them for a moment. "So you brought me here to find out if I have a slot for you in the NFL already, seeing as I'm going to America soon?"

"I didn't go through all that hell only for you to have an easy pass out of here, Fucking Trash," said Agon, pouring himself a shot of vodka. "Those fuckers I fought with managed to get a blow on my perfect face, so I would like to be compensated for it."

"Don't the women here like a man who's scarred?" Hiruma cackled as he leaned back against the stiff couch. "I'm sure you liked them babying you, telling you how strong you are to face the yakuza with their weapons in hand. Bet you have a bunch of women lined up already."

"Spouting bullshit again to distract me, I see," Agon gulped the shot of vodka quickly, and then pouring another one. "And you aren't even drunk yet." He pushed the shot glass to Hiruma, eyeing him carefully.

Damn Japanese customs. Hiruma couldn't believe Agon was playing this game. But he grinned as he downed the shot quickly, the aftertaste burning his throat. "The offer I got so far is only open to me. If you want to follow me, you have a chance by the end of the year."

"Do you think I went through all that hell just for you to go off first while I wait here? What am I, your Doberman?" Agon poured himself another cup and gulped it down.

"The agreement was that you get in the moment I'm in the NFL, Fucking Dreads," Hiruma eyed the shot glass that was being refilled again.

Agon passed the glass to him and watched as Hiruma swallowed the drink. His eyes narrowed at his statement. "So you're not going to America to join an NFL team?"

"Far from it," Hiruma passed the empty glass back on the table; the burning sensation could now be felt down to the pit of his stomach. He had forgotten to eat, and this never bodes well when drinking. "I'm starting from scratch, taking a scholarship in a university there, joining a talent pool, and then getting into an NFL team."

"Why the fuck are you going the long way?" Agon banged the table with his fist, causing those around him to look at them curiously. "You had a chance to join an NFL team from the get go. Why don't you just fucking take it and manipulate your way to then play in an actual NFL game?"

Hiruma eyed the empty shot glass, which was now being filled again. Agon's grip on the vodka bottle was strong, small cracks could already be seen in spidery lines across it. As Agon raised the glass towards his lips, Hiruma replied with a grin, "Because if you haven't noticed, getting things the easy way was never my style. It's not as fun. Rather than get the gold straight off, I'd much rather start in the dirt. Because the rules for the games may be similar, but I've had a taste of American culture here, and I know the way they play is vastly different from Japan. I will learn all I can first, and then I'll attack."

"Hmph. You forgetting me, scum? You gonna leave me here in the dirt with all these stinking Japanese players?" Agon swallowed another shot of vodka.

Hiruma eyed him cautiously. Agon was probably already or close to getting drunk at this rate. Who knows how many drinks he'd had before Hiruma arrived. "Come now, Fucking Dreads, haven't you been defeated by some good Japanese players before?"

"I trashed the ones who defeated me before," Agon's words were harsh and heavy, an evil gleam in his eyes. "And I would've destroyed more of those trashes in the Fires if I had been in the game. It's by your own rash decision to cut me off that you lost."

"Still holding on to that old fucking reason, huh?" Hiruma grabbed the bottle of vodka and poured himself a shot, thinking he might as well continue drinking. "We lost not because we didn't have you on the team. The Enma Fires had gotten stronger... especially under Unsui's leadership. You're just bitter you didn't get to up him at the last chance you had in Saikyoudai. That's why you want to go to the NFL, but I can tell you that's not going to make you feel better."

Just as Hiruma swallowed the bitter drink, both of Agon's fists curled on the front of his shirt and dragged him to his feet, his face mere inches from Agon's. "You fucking trash! What do you know about how I feel? You and I know I'm the more talented one! And I now train just as fucking hard as he did! You owe me for the help I gave you! And you owe me for taking the chance to crush that fucking Unko and his stupid team to pieces!"

"And you will get that fucking chance!" Hiruma shouted back, ignoring the many curious eyes on them. Lowering his voice, and keeping his gaze steady on Agon's, he continued, "But I have to go there first. Did you think breaking into the NFL would be that easy? The NFL is dedicated to the whites, and they will not take our presence that easily. We're nothing but yellow monkeys after all," Hiruma grinned. "I'll go there first, since there's only one slot left. Get the ropes. And I will pull you, and every fucking talent I can get from Japan in. Then... we'll kill every fucking NFL team that goes against us. Heck, you and I might even get into a different NFL teams, and you can crush me then."

Agon's grip on him loosened and Hiruma took this chance to pull his hands off his shirt. Agon was slightly drunk, so the words he had just said took some time to sink in as he gave a rather incredulous look. "It would've been easier if I went with you."

"Not a chance." Hiruma took a step away from him as his anger slowly dissipated. "With that attitude of yours, it'd probably take years before the Whites accept us officially. I'll make sure some of you guys are in as early as next year."

There was a flash of doubt on Agon's expression. But he soon grinned, something that Hiruma knew he would never see while he was back in Shinryuuji. Agon had learnt to trust his teammates, and in turn, Hiruma's leadership. While it was a risk, Agon was willing to give Hiruma a chance. "You have until next year then. I'll play with the Japanese trashes for now and find some way to trash Unko. But if I don't hear a word from you until then, I'll hunt you down and you'll never play football again."

"Kekeke, you're welcome to find me then," Hiruma continued to grin, glad that this was over with.

"But you still owe me for fighting off those damn yakuzas," said Agon as he settled back into the couch and poured himself another shot of vodka.

"If you want your name cleared, I've got that settled."

"No. I want you to let go of Manager Anezaki." Cocky grin back in place, he swigged the shot in one smooth movement, seeming considerably calmer.

Hiruma glared at Agon. "That's a strange request, coming from you."

"I saw her just now. Her ass looked fine, though her face looked like she was hiding a lot." He snorted derisively. "You know what she's like."

Hiruma pressed his lips together for a moment, remembering the time when she fell sick. "Where did you see her? Upstairs?"

"Gonna go see her? So you can fucking trample on her heart some more? I don't know why a smart one like her is still hung up on you, even though you obviously hurt her. Woman even thinks I know more about you than her."

Hiruma suppressed the urge to laugh sarcastically. "You know why she thinks that way."

"And that's the problem. You haven't told her shit about what you really do. And if you ask me she has a good suspicion as to what you're up to. She saw my bruises and knew instantly you could be involved. Now you're leaving for America… Stop fucking thinking about just your sorry ass and let her go."

"What's with all those feelings? I didn't think you cared about her that much." said Hiruma, grabbing the empty shot glass and pouring himself another drink.

"I respect her. So does everyone on the team, even that ass Yamato, which is why he's buttering up to her now. Because we can all see that all you've been doing lately has done nothing but hurt her, even though your intention was to save her." He sneered, "You want to talk lousy freaking feelings? Well here's the lowdown, you may have saved her from that fucked up company, but the damage is done. You've broken her then, and now that you're leaving you'll just break her even more so just let her go already."

Hiruma knocked back another mouthful of drink, contemplating Agon's words as the drink seared his throat, a sensation he was growing used to at this point. Then he slowly grinned. "You know… I thought the same thing as you. Both Anezaki and I are obviously going our separate ways now. I have done nothing redeemable to make her think of me in a better light, even after I'm gone.

But I need to see her. I have to at least talk to her, and tell her everything. Then she can make her decision and I'll let her go. I want to believe that Anezaki's a lot stronger than we give her credit for. And for that, I want her to at least know the truth. You can say whatever you want, Fucking Dreads, but I want to at least leave her knowing that I didn't just drop her cause she can't follow me anymore or that I can't trust her."

As Hiruma talked, Agon poured himself another shot and drank it down angrily. Then he glared at Hiruma, face turning red as he shouted, "Fuck, you can't even grant this one request, you useless piece of trash! I don't know why I let you fuck me over like this. Fuck you! Just go away then! Your face is fucking annoying me! Where are my girls?"

Hiruma got up, smiling to himself as the girls rushed back to Agon, happy to be by his side again. While it had taken up a lot of his time, the talk had been good to confirm what he really needed to do. And despite Agon being half drunk, it was an amusing sight to see him care.

But now he had more pressing matters at hand. And that was finding Anezaki. Agon had seen her, but she didn't seem to be anywhere on this floor, so he was certain she was upstairs. He headed into that direction, and amidst the crowd of people lounging by the stairs, his eyes were instantly drawn towards a girl in a dark pink dress, her steps slow and hesitant. Her back was towards him, but he recognised that figure anywhere... he had been thinking about that figure all day.

He would prefer her in red though, but damn could she pull off pink.

He watched her disappear into the crowd for a moment, but even when she was out of sight, he knew exactly where she was, so he followed her. He wanted to call out to her... the words _Fucking Manager_ was on the tip of his tongue. But he was sure the loud techno music would drown out his voice. And he wondered if calling her a manager even made sense, since he had just told her earlier today that she wasn't one anymore.

He soon caught sight of her and realised that she seemed lost, almost uncertain as to where she was going. She then ended up on the dance floor where fellow male college mates recognised her and took the chance to ask her to dance.

He could see her shaking her head, but one guy was insistent. He took her hand and pulled her closer towards him, causing her to shout. That was when Hiruma stepped in.

"Oi, Fucking Drunk," he said as he approached them. "I believe I get the first dance with her."

"Well, you can fuck off cause..." the guy's voice trailed off as he realised who he just cursed at.

Hiruma grinned widely, glad that this guy still knew who he was despite being drunk. "Kekeke, not the right words to say to someone who knows about your little incident during your freshman year. Someone was a little too desperate to feel accepted, weren't they?"

The guy wasted no time in leaving the dance floor with his friends, that left him and Anezaki standing there among other people shaking and moving around them. Hiruma wasted no time in taking a good look at her face. She always did look pretty, even with minimal makeup on. But while her expression was calm and determined, her eyes told a very different story.

He had a sudden urge to hold her.

"You'd look stunning if you dropped that shocked look from your face," he said, still grinning.

She let out a frustrated sigh, looking away. "I guess that's the best compliment I can get from you. What are you doing here anyways? You never liked parties."

"You're right. This is a shitty party. Loads of drunks, people gyrating against each other as if that's fun. But I suppose this is what college life is supposed to be, eh? The life of a youth. We sure wasted ours away, didn't we?"

Anezaki pursed her lips, close to forming a pout. She was annoyed by his words, but she folded her arms, nodding slightly. "Yes, I suppose we did. Even though we're right here with them, it's amazing how far apart from society we are."

_As well as each other_, he could hear her say, even without uttering those words. As the loud, invasive techno beat went on, he took the chance to snake his arm around her waist and pull her closer to him. She looked up at him, surprised by his actions. "Since we're here, we might as well try to be a part of it."

He half expected her to push him away and walk off, but was surprised when she nonchalantly wrapped her arms around his neck and placed the right side of her face on his chest.

They barely moved, swaying along to a non-existent beat among a crowd that was pumped up. They were obviously out of place, still not even attempting to try and be a part of the crowd.

But this was enough to confirm everything to Hiruma. Holding Anezaki's body against his, he slowly remembered the day when she lay sick on his couch, calling out his name. Why he made her promise to wait for him after that. Why he went through great lengths to hide his dangerous side from her, and why he pushed her away all this while.

In the end, he really was in love with her.

He felt her body shake for a moment before she pulled away from him. She refused to look at him, but it was enough for Hiruma to know that she was crying. "I need to talk to you."

"Not now," she practically sobbed the words out. "I can't talk to you now. I have to go."

"Anezaki!"

She continued to shake her head as she walked out of the dance floor, stopping for a moment to spot the exit. Hiruma followed her for a moment, desperate to make her hear what he had to say. But just as he was about to stretch out and grab her shoulder, he hesitated as he recalled why Anezaki was here to begin with.

What went on between her and Yamato? Was she being this way because of him? What if they said something to each other that would put pressure on her if she was with Hiruma? If so, where was Yamato among all this mess?

Maybe it would be a better idea to give her a break after all. Hiruma frowned, letting out a short, frustrated sigh as he watched Anezaki left the party. After a minute or so, he decided he would also leave the so-called restaurant, heading down the alley filled with entertainment centres.

That was when he spotted her, and he found himself walking towards her, his eyes gazing steadily on her.

It didn't take long for him to catch up to her. Her steps were slow, heavy and uncertain. Hiruma wondered if she had been drinking, but she hadn't seemed heavily intoxicated when he was holding her. She was exhausted though, he could sense that. And even he was feeling his own body wearing down, having not slept the night before. The alcohol he had drunk with Agon slowly affected his sight as everything became blurry. But he kept his eyes on the figure before him, watching her every move, looking at her curves, the way she swayed as she walked...

"Stop following me."

Her voice wasn't strong enough to lull him out of his thoughts. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You're right behind me. I told you, I don't want to talk to you now."

Taking a deep breath, Hiruma closed his eyes for a moment to clear his thoughts. Then he opened them to see that Anezaki's back was still towards him, still walking forward though a little faster. "I know. I know you don't want to talk to me. And I wanted to leave you alone cause I can see you had a rough night…

But you're walking towards my apartment, Anezaki."

He heard her gasp as she stopped dead in her tracks. She looked around her surroundings and almost choked as she saw what Hiruma said was true. She was standing just in front of Hiruma's apartment building. "H-how...?"

Hiruma stood there, unable to give her an answer. But the more he looked at her, the more he wanted to hold her again. This time, he could tell she was crumbling, and he was afraid she would disappear if he didn't stop her.

She laughed softly to herself, as she turned to her side, still not looking at him but at least allowing him to see her face. "How stupid of me... I really didn't want to talk to you. That I wasn't ready for another confrontation because I don't know what to say anymore. But in the end... in the end..."

She had fully turned towards him now, and she was finally smiling at him despite her falling tears. "In the end... It looks like I really wanted to see you again, Hiruma-kun."

He wasn't sure how it happened with the significant distance between them, but in the next moment he wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her lips towards his, kissing her gently as she responded in kind. It was an old, familiar feeling. One he hadn't indulged in since that day he made her promise. A new feeling slowly took over, raw and passionate. It filled him up completely, and all the words he wanted to say were gone.

Instead, he continued to kiss her, holding her close in hopes that she would realise this too.

The wait was over. She had fulfilled her promise.

* * *

><p><strong>Extra Notes:<strong>I know things get kinda random in this story, and a lot of things are still left hanging. I intend to explain it all off in the next few last chapters, where everything gets revealed. I initially didn't want to post up this chapter so soon, but Chapter 10 had too much build up and even I was frustrated to leave it in such an awful cliff-hanger. I apologise for all this build up with little payoff, I learnt a lot writing this story, and I hope that it will all be worth it in the next few chapters. Lastly, Agon is a pain to write so I apologise if he's OOC.

And err... I could be writing smut in the next chapter. I don't think I'll be posting it here on this site for various reasons, so that may just be exclusive to my Livejournal. No worries to those who don't like smut! There will be a non-smut version! But yeah... seeing as I have to write two different chapters, and September's a busy month for me, please be patient as this may take some time again. Feel free to leave me any comments or criticism to help me improve. Till my next chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes:** Finally done with this! Thank goodness, I was afraid I'd take longer than usual again! So as mentioned, there is a smut version of this chapter available. If you're okay with smut, and would prefer to read that version, either leave me a review or send me a PM requesting for that version and I will send you a link. To those who know my Livejournal account (I'll link it on my profile), do search for it there! And don't worry if you think there's a lot of differences between the chapters. They're pretty much the same except this omits the smut section! So it's all good!

I really hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope the fic Gravity is still on your mind, cause this chapter depends a lot on it. :) Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Yamato fingered the rim of his glass slowly, his mind wandering as the reality of what had just happened hit him. Anezaki Mamori, the girl he had been pursuing for a while now, had rejected him.<p>

Not like he hadn't seen it coming.

_"I know you had a lot of bad memories in America. You're not just afraid of what you went through happening to other Japanese players… but that it might happen to me because at some point, you know Hiruma will find some way to drag me to America. I am too useful for him."_

At that point, he was still sure he could have made a really good counter-argument to change her mind. But the words she said got to him, and he knew he had lost every chance of ever changing her mind.

_"But even without him getting me there, I would have found some way to go wherever he is anyway."_

He was not blind. He knew their bond was strong, but he'd placed a little too many of his stakes in favor of Mamori's logic. He was sure she was aware of the benefits of staying in Japan and being with him. And that it would be a matter of time before they moved on to America. He'd made it all so clear. And yet...

_"So Yamato-kun... you don't have to be my anchor of safety. You've seen my capabilities. You know I'll pull through."_

He knew she was right, even though he didn't want to believe it. But in the end, it was his loss, and another win to Deimon in proving that the whole lot of them cannot comprehend possible failure.

"I should probably keep that attitude in mind once I start my business," said Yamato, as he finally picked the glass up and gulped his drink down.

oOo

Mamori had barely opened her eyes when she felt her head throbbing lightly. Her memory of what had happened since the party was fuzzy, but she was on a bed and felt a strange itch in her throat. She coughed, finally gathering enough strength to raise her eyelids to figure out where she was.

Wrapped in a blanket, she found herself in someone else's bed, and that "someone else" was right next to her – his eyes open though slightly dazed, watching her reaction slowly unfold. He was still in the clothes from the party, but he didn't have a blanket on and his face was pale.

Mamori opened her mouth to say something, but she realised that the itch in her throat was a lot worse than she'd thought. She coughed instead, looking at Hiruma with concern. "What... happened?"

"You don't remember?" Hiruma shifted his body so that he was facing her completely.

Mamori's head was still throbbing, forcing her to close her eyes for a moment. This feeling, this situation, felt all too familiar to her. "No..."

"What do you remember?"

There was a cloud in her head that slowed her thoughts and made it hard for Mamori to figure out what was going on. She forced herself to backtrack and remember the events of the party. Her talk with Yamato, bumping into Hiruma... "Walking from the party, somehow ending up at your place and then..."

Mamori stopped herself, finally remembering what happened next. The kiss they shared started out simple enough, but escalated as they found it harder and harder to part. The moment her lips left his, she felt hungry for more, and he seemed to feel the same as he responded with similar fervour.

... And then nothing. Try as she might to figure out what happened after the kiss, her memories remained a blur. Then a thought occurred to her. She moved the blanket away for a moment and looked down at her body.

Her dress was gone. And all she had on was her underwear. "Did... did we make out?"

Hiruma grinned in a teasing manner.

"But... how did we even make it here? Did you even lock your door?"

"Fuck if I did. I'll shoot any assholes that break in."

She didn't doubt it. But she felt rather uncomfortable, knowing that she was almost naked on Hiruma's bed. She coughed a little more, realising that she was falling sick. Of all the timing! She thought about getting up and dressing herself as quickly as possible. She must leave before this sickness gets worse or else she'd be...

A warm hand rested on her cheek, pulling her from her thoughts. She noticed the bandage on his right arm, and a twinge of guilt hit her. Then her gaze rested on Hiruma's eyes, steady and concerned. She could sense that there were many thoughts going through his head at the moment. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"That's my line, Fucking Manager."

The weight of what had happened to them in the past few days slowly came back, and Mamori found it hard to swallow.

Where do they even begin?

Tightening her grip on the blanket, she replied, "You need to stop calling me that. I'm not a manager anymore."

"You'll always be my Fucking Manager."

Mamori felt a sting in her eyes at those words. "I thought you didn't want me."

His grin widened. "I obviously lied."

"You idiot. You can't just take back your words and expect me to forgive-"

"You're fucking sick again, aren't you?" There was a playful tone in his voice, but Mamori's eyes still rested on his. The concern was still evident. "Remember what happened the last time you fell sick and you stayed here?"

Mamori fought the urge to cry, for the memory seemed to feel so distant and painful. "Yes," she replied. "But why-?"

"Remember when you played that damn game with me on the Playstation?"

Mamori was taken aback that he was bringing that up. But then again, there was something about that memory, something about what he said back then that made her nervous, as if she knew something was going on ever since then. "... Yes. We played Modern Warfare. We didn't even settle who won."

"I told you that I got the Playstation from some poor sucker who couldn't pay me back."

Mamori kept silent, dread growing within her. She should have known...

"I gather information from various business people and companies, and when I feel like it I give them out to those who are willing to exchange information with me, as well as pay me."

She didn't even move. She just stared at him blankly, the sound of her breathing getting a little harsher as her throat still hurt, but she waited for him to continue.

"Aren't you going to ask me why?"

"I know why," she replied, closing her eyes for a moment. "The information you gathered by exchanging information would help you to keep tabs on the people who might be useful. The money would help with your plans to go to America."

His head drew closer to hers. "Keh, this is why I can't fucking let you go. You know me too damn well."

That did little to comfort her. "But you still told me to move on, to stop... waiting." She took a deep breath to control her tears. This wasn't the time to cry, but the sickness was making her feel susceptible.

He didn't reply at once. Carefully observing his face, Mamori knew he was thinking about what to say. He may have a way with words, mostly crude, but something at this level required a different tact, and she soon felt worried that he may not be able to say what was needed to clear this. Maybe they were only fooling themselves into thinking they could fix this? But Hiruma soon spoke, as if the pause never happened.

"One of the companies I was working for became a little too dependent on me and Agon. I exchanged information with them a lot as they have good sources. But by using the information I gave them, they succeeded in expanding their market-share and increased their revenue three-fold. The chairman was a smart bastard. He wanted power, and I was a key player in helping him to expand his business further. He did everything in his power to keep me... and if he couldn't get me, he'd get Agon."

It all began to click for Mamori. "That's why you pulled him out in our last game, isn't it?"

"I warned him to keep his distance from that company. I knew if we kept associating ourselves with them, it could ruin our plans to get into the NFL properly without having to succumb to some asshole's will. He was already planning to use me to expand his business in America, but I had no interest in being someone else's pawn. So I rejected everything they gave to keep me. Then they went with their fucking last resort. Getting you involved."

"... Me?" Mamori gasped. "They were observing you! And they assumed that I was someone important to you, didn't they? What were they planning to do to me?"

"Ensure you won't get the job at the Kindergarten you got hired in... or any Kindergarten for that matter."

Silence reined once more as Mamori struggled to let the entire situation sink in. It all made sense now... the reason why Hiruma and Agon often sustained serious injuries unrelated to football, the distance Hiruma forced upon himself with her...

The reason why he made her wait a year ago.

"How... how did you stop them?" Mamori bit her bottom lip, tears already streaming down her face.

"Gave whatever information I could to the smaller companies under the main one and shake its foundation down to the ground."

"... It worked?"

His grin returned, causing her to smile for a while. "But why didn't you tell me all of this when it was over? You didn't have to tell me to stop waiting if this was happening."

"After everything I've put you through before the Rice Bowl and after?" Hiruma shifted his body again, this time a little further from her, glancing at his injured arm. "I created a distance so fucking wide that I felt sure you could already move on without me. And with me leaving to America a lot sooner than I expected, you would be forced to wait again. I don't..." He looked away for a second. "You shouldn't have to wait any longer."

"But I would still have waited for you."

She knew he was watching her carefully now, but her tears blurred her vision and she knew they were falling endlessly. She pressed the base of her palms on her eyes, hoping to stop it.

"After everything I put you through?"

She tried to keep her breathing in control, but her sobs threatened to escape, and her throat was burning. With a broken voice, she replied, "Even if you told me to stop waiting, I would always be waiting for you. I don't mind if I have to wait years... You've become someone so important to me that the idea of just moving on doesn't make sense. I feel like something has ended before it even began. So I realised, I've already waited this long, I can still wait a little longer and see this through..."

She couldn't control her tears anymore and so she began to cry openly in front of him. She smiled a little, afraid that Hiruma would realise that she was baring her soul. "I decided to go look for a kindergarten that had international associations, especially in America. There's one, but its American counterpart is probably in a different state than where you would be. But even so, at least I'd be one step closer to you. I can work in that Kindergarten in Japan first, and then get a good record to transfer to America, and once I've built a reputation there, maybe then... Maybe..."

She felt Hiruma grab her shoulders and pulled her out of the blanket and into his arms, locking her in a tight embrace. "Fuck," he muttered to himself. "Fuck. I was right. You really are too fucking good for me."

She carried on crying in his arms, feeling his bare skin on hers felt comforting somehow. "I'm such an idiot, aren't I? Wanting to follow you even when you don't want me to."

"I'm the idiot here. I actually want you to. Fuck." He drew his face closer to hers, listening to her quiet sobs. "I'll gather information about this kindergarten, and I'll make sure that when the time comes, they fucking accept your transfer. I don't care if you're on the opposite side of America, by the time you get there, you can be sure that I'll make it so you'll be my Fucking Manager again."

"You idiot!" Mamori laughed through her tears. "I'm a Kindergarten Teacher!"

"Who says you can't be both?"

"You're all out to wear me down, aren't you?" Mamori finally lifted her tear stained face a little to face him. "Stupid. Just don't make me go through all that heartache again."

He grinned, before leaning in to kiss her. Mamori pulled away almost instantly. "Don't! You'll get sick too!"

"Too late, Fucking Manager," he said as he tightened his hold on her.

"Eh?" Mamori stared at him for a moment before she reached out a hand to place on his forehead. "You're sick too, aren't you? Why didn't you take a blanket yourself!"

"Only realised I got it when I woke up a few minutes before you did," Hiruma cackled a little as he nuzzled closer to her face. "You really will be the end of me."

Mamori let out an exasperated sigh. Then she smiled a little and combed her fingers through his hair. "I guess so," she said, then she leaned forward and kissed him again.

A feeling of relief washed over them as their kisses got more passionate. After so long of having a barrier constantly put between them, out of respect, out of duty, out of necessity, their little moments of affection limited and rare as they put Football on the forefront of their lives and working on their own paths for the future, finally...

Finally...

They held on to each other as they rested, feeling the sickness get to them a little. But this was good enough. This was fine. While there were more obstacles to face, and they have to wait again before they can be together... This will do. These few moments of being with each other and having each other openly in love will do.

"Should I make us something to eat?" she asked him, still in his arms. "I should probably make something since we're both sick. I probably need to borrow your t-shirt though..."

He grinned. "Well, if you need my clothes, then that settles one fucking thing..."

"What's that?"

"Stay here until I leave?"

Mamori buried her face into his chest and smiled. "Okay."


	13. Chapter 13

This took too long to complete and I apologise! I had a lot of issues going on, and it was hard to get me to write this. But I finally steeled myself to write this last chapter! To be honest, it's a lot different than how I conceived it initially, but the change was much needed cause all the words came easier this way. I hope you enjoy this, and thank you once again for all your patience!

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><p>Careful not to trip, Mamori skipped two to three steps down the concrete stairs facing the road. A silver car rumbled patiently by the side, two occupants within, one waving her hand excitedly at Mamori as she unlocked the back passenger door for her.<p>

Mamori practically threw herself into the car, her files and bags strewn across the seat as she slammed the door shut. Amidst her heavy breathing, she let out a relieved sigh. "Did I make it in time?"

"Right on the dot," Unsui replied with a smile, as he set the car to gear and began to drive off.

"I'm so sorry to bother the two of you, having to pick me up like this," Mamori took off her black coat and adjusted the blue blouse she wore underneath it.

"It's no trouble at all!" Karin replied, turning to look at her from the front passenger seat. "After all, we are heading in the same direction. How did it go?"

"I was a little nervous, but I think it went well," Mamori replied, still a little breathless from the run. She gathered up her files and hugged her bag closer to her, a little embarrassed to have thrown it around like that. "It took a lot longer than I expected because the principal couldn't stop talking about me and my impressive grades and references. I'm worried I may have over-impressed them though. Do you think that's bad?"

Unsui chuckled. "With your abilities, Anezaki, I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"I'm sure you'll get in, Mamori!" said Karin, wearing a confident smile, which slowly turned mischievious. "And if you don't, well, I'm sure someone will make sure that doesn't happen."

Mamori shot back a disapproving look at that smile. "Oh no, I wouldn't want him to be involved in any way. Besides, I want to move forward using my own ability, he knows that. It is the same for him after all."

"So the two of you are okay with this arrangement?" asked Unsui, glancing at the rear view mirror to look at Mamori.

"You mean with him being in America and me staying here?" She leaned against the door to look at the passing scenery, of the familiar roads which would soon pass by Deimon. "I suppose it's easy to say that we don't have a choice; that we have to make do with what we have and the opportunities given to us. The waiting is going to be tough for sure, and I think this would be the first time we would be apart for this long ever since I joined the Devil Bats. But..."

As Unsui glanced at the rear view mirror once more, he could see Mamori smiling contently at him. "It'll be all right," she said. "He's someone very important to me. So no matter where he is, I'll always wait for him patiently, and I know he'll do the same."

Unsui smiled widely in return. "Well, knowing his nature, he would gladly wait as long as he gets what he wants in the end. So don't expect him to let go of you that easily."

Mamori giggled. "I'm not expecting him to. After all, I want to be with him too."

Karin let out a soft sigh. "Oh, this is rather perfect. Though I can't deny, the outcome for this all is a little bit disappointing."

"What do you mean?" asked Unsui.

"If you think about it, wouldn't it have been more romantic if the two of them came to this conclusion right now? Just hours before Hiruma-san's flight? He wouldn't be expecting her, and just as he's about to board the plane, filled with regrets, Mamori runs after him calling out his name." Karin began to talk faster now, enthusiasm forming with each word that passed her lips, "Confused but filled with hope, Hiruma-san would approach her and Mamori would confess everything to him, about how she's willing to wait for him and that she would eventually go to America to be with him, and Hiruma-san would be overjoyed but he wouldn't show it. He'd tease her perhaps, tell her she's stupid. But he'd accept it all and tells her he'd be waiting for her, and that he will come back and drag her to America if he has to! And then-"

Unsui cut in, cringing a little. "I'm going to have to stop you there, Karin, but I think you've been reading too much shoujo mangas."

"But don't you think that would have been a fitting ending?" asked Karin. Despite her calm demeanour, her eyes sparkled with excitement. "I think a lot of readers would love that, it is quite romantic after all. Maybe the next manga I draw could have that."

Unsui rested his hand on the gears, despite not changing it. He shook his head a little, but there was a smile on his face that Mamori believed only Karin could interpret, for she placed her hand on his and smiled in return.

Smiling to herself, Mamori sighed in contentment and watched the passing scenery outside. In the distance, she could see the outline of the Deimon High School. And so she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be washed over by nostalgia of every good thing she had experienced thus far, the great people she had met, the amazing games she had witnessed.

And the man she had grown to love on the field.

oOo

Just as they reached the car park, Mamori was surprised to see someone familiar waiting for her by the entrance to the airport. "I'm sorry," said Karin sheepishly. "He was really insistent about seeing you before you saw Hiruma-san off."

"If he does or even says anything hurtful, just call out for us," said Unsui, shifting the gear to neutral upon parking in an empty lot.

"It's all right," Mamori assured them. "I needed to talk to him too."

Yamato waved at her as she exited the car, to which she smiled and waved back. Karin and Unsui remained in the car, patiently waiting for them to finish their conversation.

"Ah, Karin still doesn't trust me, does she?" said Yamato, as he looked over Mamori to see the duo talking to each other, Unsui's eyes glancing over occasionally.

"It's not that they don't trust you," Mamori replied. "They're worried about me, especially after everything that has happened. I hope you understand."

"I understand perfectly," said Yamato, looking at her with a sombre smile. "But I only wanted to see you to apologise."

"Oh, I should be the one apologising! I must have hurt you terribly that night."

"No, it was perfectly fine. You had every right to tell me the truth, and it is one aspect that I admire about you, Anezaki, how you are always true to yourself. There are many other aspects that I admire too..."

"Yamato-kun..."

"Don't worry, Anezaki. I admit, when you said it, it stung. You were pretty spot on about my fears. Even back during the World Youth Cup, I knew breaking into America just wasn't that easy despite the mark we made during our time there. I knew there was a better way to do it, one that took on a more tactical approach outside the field. And I admit, as you were someone who also worked outside of the field, you would have been perfect to help me."

Mamori pressed her lips together, nodding him on.

"I didn't mean to steal you away from him, I just thought that you were better off with me as he was never really there for you. I hope you know I did it because I care, and I didn't want to see you wasting away, waiting for someone who didn't seem to care about how you feel and may never come back. But I was wrong, I should have known you were much smarter than that, much stronger. That the bond between the two of you was not as simple as I thought it was. And for that, I'm sorry, Anezaki."

She smiled in response. "It's okay, Yamato-kun. I understand why you did it. But I want you to know that I really am grateful for the kindness you have shown me when I was hurt and alone. Regardless of how this seems, I believe you are a kind and thoughtful man. Thank you, and I look forward to working with you in the future."

Mamori reached out a hand to him, Yamato staring in disbelief for a moment. Then he laughed in amusement and shook the hand. "I also look forward to working with you and Hiruma once more in the future."

Mamori waved at Unsui and Karin, alerting them that their conversation was over and that they should hurry into the airport. As they all walked in, the familiar sound of chaos rang through the air.

Mamori sighed. She should have seen this coming.

Almost everyone from every Japanese Football team they had ever played against was present, creating such a ruckus that everyone else at the airport would give them strange looks and go out of their way to avoid them.

Hiruma was being frisked before he could even head to the departure lounge, much to his annoyance, while everyone else argued about who snitched on him.

"There's no doubt about it, Agon had to be the one who did it. He's always been jealous of Hiruma going to America."

"The fuck you say, you piece of trash! Come say it to my face, I dare you!"

"Excuse me sir, but we'll have to frisk you too."

"The fuck? I'm not even taking a damn flight!"

"Agon's been set up too! We're all going to get frisked!"

"Whose fault is it now?"

"Mukya! This can't be happening! We're all going to be under investigation! What have we done!"

"Calm down, Monta, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this..."

"Ahaha! They can frisk me if they want to!"

"Not a good idea, all they'd find is stupid."

"Calm down, everyone, there has got to be a reasonable explanation for this!"

"... Can I just leave now?"

"Don't be so embarrassed to be here? We're here to say goodbye to a good old friend of ours after all."

"You don't even really like him!"

"Even more reason to see him off, right?"

"I DON'T WANT TO BE BLACKLISTED FROM JAPAN!"

"That makes no sense."

Karin and Yamato watched on with a sweat drop. Unsui chuckled at the sight, already used to this madness thanks to the Enma Fires. "Some things just don't change, do they?"

Mamori sighed once more. "No, not at all."

"Ah, Mamo-nee!" a familiar voice called out to her, and soon everyone turned to look at Mamori.

An even louder roar erupted upon the group's realisation of Mamori being present.

"ANEZAKI IS HERE!"

"ARE THE RUMOURS TRUE?!"

"SHE'S HERE TO GIVE HIM A GOODBYE KISS!"

"CAN YOU DATE ME NOW ANEZAKI?"

The sound of gun shots rang through the air, forcing everyone to fall flat on the ground. "You fuckers shut up already!" cried Hiruma, who then passed the gun to the airport personnel. "Keep it, it's a lousy gun anyways."

"Sir, you possess a gun..."

"It's not mine. You already frisked me and know I don't have any weapons on me."

"But then how did you...?"

Hiruma shrugged. "Fuck if I know." As everyone slowly got up, Hiruma walked towards Mamori, who was the only one who remained standing throughout the entire ordeal. "Took you long enough, Fucking Manager," he said.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm here just in time," Mamori insisted. "Though I see that you didn't waste any time in creating chaos even before you leave. Didn't we go through a similar ordeal during our first trip to America with the Devil Bats?"

"And as usual, no one can really figure out how I'm still able to possess weaponry."

"I wish you would conceal them better, you know they're such a high risk in airports and it still worries me that you'll get caught."

"Stop fucking worrying about me, you know I can take care of myself."

"Yes, but..." Mamori sighed one last time before laughing a little. "You're right. I have nothing to be worried about. Not even the devil himself could stop you from getting what you want."

"But other people did succeed in keeping me from you," he said, though so softly Mamori could only make out a couple of the words. She shook her head.

"It was a necessary lesson for the both of us. You came for me at the party, that was enough."

He was leaning in towards her now, their heads tilting towards each other until they realised the many eyes watching them. Instinctively, Mamori took a step back, looking down in embarrassment...

Until Hiruma pulled her towards him, arm holding her waist and his lips now planted on top of hers. She could hear the screams and shouts of surprise and anger. Suzuna squealing loudly in the distance, screeching, "I told you! I told you!"

A little flustered, Mamori pulled away from him. "Was that necessary?" she asked him.

He merely grinned in return. "Why? I have nothing to be afraid of after all. Not even the devil himself could stop me from getting what I want."

She was confused at first, but found herself laughing aloud as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him once more, much to everyone's further excitement and horror. He was right, this was the lesson they had learnt. There was nothing to be afraid of anymore...

Though maybe the reaction of everyone else should be worrying enough.

"WHOA A KISS! THEY KISSED AGAIN!"

"THIS ISN'T GOOD FOR MY HEART!"

"I am strangely aroused by this."

"DON'T ANNOUNCE SUCH THINGS SO LOUDLY!"

"I kinda like this ending better, I think. A little more original, yes?"

"I don't think this is the right time to discuss this."

Slowly tuning out the noise in the background, Mamori pulled her lips away for a moment to smile at Hiruma. Carefully hiding his own, he looked at her.

_Wait for me._

Nodding, she pulled him in and kissed him once more.

_I will._

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><p>Be sure to check out the epilogue!<p> 


	14. Epilogue

"Oh, I'm sure everything is fine, Musashi-kun," said Mamori as she held her phone to her left, her right hand clearing up her desk. "I don't think he's ignoring you these past months, he is grateful to you after all for all the help you've given him. I think something came up. Yeah, I think he may have gotten into the NFL team. He's being sketchy about it with me, too. Hmm? Me? I'm fine. I'm finally done with my two years here and they'll be transferring me to America by the next month. Of course I'll see you soon. I need to see you and the rest of the boys before I go, don't I? But really, thank you for everything, Musashi-kun."

Sighing, she kept her mobile in her handbag. Everything seemed to be in order. She has all the necessary documents in hand, all her other files and notes arranged in the right order. Good, she could go home now. All the other teachers had left except for her, as she had a lot to prepare before her transfer.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the long corridor outside the teacher's lounge. Who could be here at this hour? Was it security making his rounds? That's odd... it's still light out, the setting sun painting the room orange.

The sound was getting closer now, but Mamori thought nothing of it. She grabbed her bag, ready to leave when a figure stood by the doorway.

She stared, dumbfounded by the sight.

The figure grinned in response. "What kind of a fucking expression is that? I don't think I changed that much...

Fucking Manager."

Her right hand clasped her mouth, holding back a gasp and a sob. She couldn't believe the emotions rushing through her at that very moment, which felt almost ridiculous. It had only been two years, and yet...

_Where have you been? I've been waiting here for so long. I've missed you so much._

As if sensing her thoughts, Hiruma stepped forward and held her in his arms. Mamori hugged him back, determined to hold back her tears, at least for now. "You idiot... you should have called."

"And miss this amazing reaction? No fucking way."

"You wanted to see me cry?"

"No, I wanted to see how much I've missed you too."

Mamori couldn't reply, other than to hold him tighter. They held on to each other for a little longer, before Mamori pulled back. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

Hiruma grinned. "Came to pick you up, of course."

She stared back at him, dumbfounded. "... But I thought I was going to meet you there? Aren't you busy?"

"You'd think I'd make you wait any fucking longer? Fuck that, I already got one part of my life set. I might as well get the other part ready, too."

Mamori stared at him. "For someone so careful, that sounds strangely reckless of you. I hope everything there really is settled."

"Do you think I'd be here if it wasn't?"

She shook her head. "You're right, I'm just worrying over you as usual. After all, you haven't really called in the past month."

"Keh, that shouldn't have you doubting me."

"I know."

He was holding her by her waist now, forehead resting on hers. The sound of their heartbeats remained a calm, steady rhythm that seemed to assure them both. They were together, finally together.

"The wait ends here," he whispered to her. "After all the hell you've been through, are you ready to spend the rest of your life having to bear with an evil tyrant like me?"

She smiled, her lips inches from his. "After all the hell I've been through, bearing with an evil tyrant is a cinch."

Cackling, he closed the gap between them.

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><p>And that's it. *bows* Thank you very much for the amazing journey as I wrote this fic. I don't think I could have finished this fic without the amazing support I received as I wrote it. To the amazing people who left me wonderful reviews, and those who sent me messages on Tumblr, asking me about this fic, all of you have played a role in urging me on, to keep writing even when I struggled and doubted my ability to write. Like every fic I had written, this one has also taught me a lot. But I could not have completed this had it not been for the amazing love and support you have all shown me. As a writer, I am incredibly grateful to have such amazing readers. You all have been amazing, and I cannot thank you enough.<p>

A big thank you to Elis for being a part of this journey and being my beta. I owe a lot to you, hun. Thanks for being an awesome bestie!

You're all welcome to talk to me any time! I'd really love to hear from you as I plan my next writing conquest. I hope you continue to support me as after much thinking, I may just write my own original story. But that remains to be seen, as I also have ideas to write more multichapter fics for HiruMamo and even SenaSuzu.

Until then, take care everyone and I hope this journey was a great one for you as it was for me.


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